Kirby WarFare: Tears of the Blood Moon
by waddledee1013
Summary: Pop Star is threatened by the ambitious King D6 of DeDenidea. The nation of Poponia enlists veteran warrior Pinkobashi to serve in Galaxy Squad, an elite team of puffballs supplied with copy-ability weapons, to stop the enemy from achieving world domination. The epic sequel to Kirby WarFare.
1. Prologue: Out of the Ashes

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kirby or anything related to the Kirby game series. Kirby and any and all related characters are the property of Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. All characters that are listed do not belong to me. All OCs are of my own creation.**

*Note: A.D.W. is After Dee War, the conclusion of the first world war between Dees and puffballs.

Read and review. I highly appreciate the feedback.

* * *

PROLOGUE: Out of the Ashes

The world of dreams had finally overcome the looming storms of war and now the natural order was restored. The Great DeDeDe War had finally come to an end. The war still took its emotional toll on millions of innocents. From *A.D.W. 1984 to A.D.W. 1994, the world no longer saw the light of freedom.

The world was devastated by the power struggles of Amerikirb and DeDessia that ravaged much of the planet. Having been emasculated by overextending resources, numerous internal political blunders, numerous casualties, and a ruined capital, the DeDessian military leadership had to surrender. An Amerikirban-allied loyalist faction was put in place to replace the revanchist regime and bring the war to a ceasefire. The war criminals who engaged in wanton brutality faced justice by what remained left of the international community. Civilization regressed into the dark ages in a matter of a few years. Many puffballs, descended from the legendary star warrior known in the myths as Kirby, and Waddle Dees, descended from the mysterious Bandana Dee, perceived themselves as righteous enemies. Both races saw themselves as worthy of the mantle of godhood. As people always believed in Dream Land, dreams could become a reality. But that was not always true.

Pop Star saw the rise of two mighty empires that spanned much of the planet. The newly crowned King D6, his formal name being King Dedenodosos VI of DeDenidea, was trusted as a hero for the people among Waddle Dees, yet he was perceived as an enlightened despot by the puffballs living in his country. Poponian ultranationalists were outraged by this royal edict and decided to attack the establishment, causing the King to immediately suspend parliament and declare martial law. Puffballs were seen as traitors. They had to take an allegiance of loyalty to the DeDenidean empire or face death. King D6 consolidated power and mustered his military to engage in a bloody civil war with insurgents, resulting in a decisive victory for the central government. The other leading rival nation, Poponia, elected to have a parliamentary constitutional monarchy headed by King Poponiana and heralded as a paradise for puffballs. By A.D.W. 1997, they had the largest empire in the world, even eclipsing the strength of the former Amerikirban empire within a few years with its dramatic technological advances. Led by Conservative leader Prime Minister Poporen, the Poponian Parliament had a dysfunctional democracy at best and an oppressive oligarchy at worst. King Poponiana's rise to power involved the centralization of decision making power, yet the Prime Minister still had to pay fealty to the royal family. The puffballs were perceived as oppressed and given rights in DeDenidea, while Waddle Dees were treated to the same effect in Poponia. Waddle Dees who did not sign the loyalty oath in Poponia were seen as traitors. DeDenidean sympathizers in Poponia were affronted by this edict and protested which escalated into violence and eventually civil war. Waddle Dees who did not sign the loyalty oath were denied government jobs and were treated as second-class citizens. The Poponian approach to the world was based on blood oaths and aristocratic virtues. The royal servants of the crown were mostly often Waddle Dees who had to renounce their allegiance to the King of DeDenidea or face death. The empire extolled puffballs as superior to the Dees in every way. Dees and other races from the empire were allowed to remain citizens and serve in the royal military. These two leading governments were foretold to become the main belligerents in the ensuing conflict. King D6 was treated as a just and strong world leader among the many republics surrounding his domains, yet his great investment in building a strong military presence in the Rainbow Islands archipelago which had trade relations with Poponia alarmed the international community. To make matters worse, both governments possessed weapons of mass destruction.

The age of peace was short lived, bringing an age of great scientific discovery and the exploration of new natural resources. The age-old empires reeling from the previous war still sought for new markets and mutual cooperation with their allies. Suddenly, everything fell apart when tragedy struck on the gulf coastal city of Orbranen. A drone bombing attack on Amerikirban-allied and DeDessian oil shipping tankers led some to believe that these were the first step in a war that was bound to happen. DeDenidea was targeted as the culprit behind the attack with evidence of DeDenidean-produced munitions being supplied to insurgent proxy forces. Poponia was also singled out with evidence of its own troops arming and supplying the drones for the terrorist movements that directly attacked the harbors. Fears of a proxy war forced the two superpowers to intervene and push for an immediate ceasefire. The peace conference failed on A.D.W. 1999 when an attack on the international peace summit by an unknown masked assailant provided the spark that caused the powder keg to erupt. This terrorist attack that killed several innocents became known in the public eye as the Red Palm Incident. The assassin was linked to members of the Knights of Spatha, an elite international mercenary group with the high-minded aim of forming a militaristic society dangerous to the interests of both governments. The Knights of Spatha had mysterious motives, yet their legendary status under the command of its elusive leader Spatha could not be underestimated. The Knights of Spatha were designated a terrorist organization and rumored to have infiltrated the armies of both nations. Within forty-eight hours of the Red Palm Incident, followed by the sinking of naval vessels near the Rainbow Islands, both nations declared war.

When the war had finally broken out, the Amerikirban-led Star Warrior Defense Force, being an elite international military defense force made exclusively of puffballs that was tasked with upholding international security, was forced to side with Poponia. After a series of damaging failures by the membership to rout an effective resistance force against the enemy, it was soon dissolved by the new ruling government. Destined Providence, a legendary group comprised of the six most elite Star Warriors on the planet who were veterans of the Great DeDeDe War, had mysteriously disappeared for reasons unknown following their reactivation. They were sent on a secret infiltration mission to gather intel on the secret DeDenidean superweapon project Sundowner near the enemy capital of Deecapita and halt production. While deep in enemy territory, they were compromised and lost contact with high command. With the mission unsuccessful, the puffball nation was put at a great disadvantage. The leading military minds of the Poponian empire recommended a last-ditch effort employing their own elite soldier program modeled after the best of the Star Warrior Defense Force to make up for their outnumbered military. There was the assumption that if the Poponian nation fell, all of the puffball race would be annihilated.

Poponia faced numerous defeats against the overwhelming onslaught of the DeDenidean military machine that was far more numerous and advanced even with employing the resources of its mighty empire to stop it on many fronts. Entire allied cities on the Eastern front were devastated by the looming air raids and invasions that came without warning. Massive factories and imperial fortifications were constructed in the place of the ruins. Rumors of new weapons being unleashed on the battlefields by D6's forces were always circulating among intelligence. All seven of the Rainbow Islands had fallen in a matter of weeks, cutting off the Poponian empire from securing vital resources in the great ocean a continent away from her mainland. Much of the Euelropean continent was under the influence of a literal despot, with Waddle Dees given the right to take anything they wanted and have the most loyal of them govern their several puppet states. Poponian puppet governments were set up in Minreca. Amerikirb and DeDessia were unable to intervene, yet would provide material support when they came under attack by DeDenidea and her allies. Millions of lives were lost. After a few grueling years with few successes, Poponia was sapped of 50% of its military strength. Now, it was on the brink of annihilation.

The world had lost its heroes. Now new ones had to take up the mantle.

* * *

Popoken. Capital of Poponia and largest city with a population of 10 million inhabitants. Home of the Poponian Parliament. Chief Residence of the Prime Minister.

Popoken, Poponia. 2200 Hours

Prime Minister Poporen, the well-groomed leader of the Poponian government and head of the Poponian Conservative Party, was surprised by what was happening. Poll numbers in support of the war effort were plummeting. Being personally appointed by the Queen to run the country was a great embarrassment to the nation. His party was losing seats to his rivals in the Poponian Labor Party and the war coalition was faltering. His approval rating was bound to be the lowest in Poponian history. He resided comfortably in his fancy chair, smoking his pipe, as he was reading a copy of the latest news from his favorite newspaper, The Daily Puffball. He hoped to get his spirits up. He twiddled his aged mustache with great interest in the developing conflict. He was well informed on the issues at hand, speaking with an elitist attitude typical of the upper class to his personal servant Dee. This Dee was able to speak Poponian rather fluently. His kind was known for their strong work ethic and smart deduction skills.

"My paper, good sir."

The front page of the news bulletin read at the top: LATEST ATTEMPT TO RETAKE GREEN GREENS ENDS IN DISASTER! The disaster on the Euelropean front was devastating. A major defeat for the Poponian forces cost at least 200,000 troops either wounded or killed. Their defenses of their allies at Buterington proved fruitless from the enemy's new innovative maneuvers. Now, D6's forces were right on their doorstep. It was suspected that Poponia would be under attack within a week. His conservative base detested him. There were numerous starving refugees pouring into the country. Yesterday's demonstration against him proved especially dire with crowd violence and the death of five innocent bystanders. The radical mass action Anti-Empire League even vowed to stall the economy to get his party out of the lead. He only had to take command of the issue.

"Hmmm...I see!"

"We have the Poponian high command here ready to talk with you, Mister Prime Minister. They're due for the situation briefing."

"Send them in!"

"Right away Mister Prime Minister!" The servant Dee gladly opened the door for his superior.

"Alright! Come in gentlemen!" He rose from his chair to await his presiding generals. Three wisened red-colored puffballs entered the room dressed in decorated military attire.

"Mister Poporen. I have bad news. Reports from-"

"I know. We're cooked, I say! But we have something they don't have! And that is the iron will of justice!"

"With all due respect, enough pontificating, Poporen. You're not at a political rally, sir! We're down to our last few battalions. We're now on the defensive and are only a countryside away from being bombarded off the map. This very government is bound to be decapitated in a matter of weeks. Green Greens needs to be retaken as soon as possible. If you don't get this right, we're through! Remember, you're the one in command of our armed forces here. We have one option left!"

"Where the hell are the rest of the generals?!" There had to be at least six of them.

"They're all dead! Enemy spies done em' in just a few hours ago! Right in their own headquarters! Here are the pictures." They were utterly indescribable.

"We need you to give the go-ahead to initiate the protocol Operation Overshadow. This will activate our new battalion Galaxy Squad and will allow the military to remain in control of all operations with your approval effective immediately. These puffs are among the best of the best to test with our newest weapons. Hopefully, they alone can turn the tide of the war in our favor. They just need one more candidate added to their ranks needing your approval. You need to make your decision now."

"What is Galaxy Squad?" The prime minister appeared dumbfounded.

"That's classified. Anyway, here's what we have in our records about this character." One of the three generals showed a picture of Pinkobashi, among other images of possible candidates. Another general showed a picture of one female yellow-colored Applsian warrior of equal status and rank.

"Who is this?" The prime minister grabbed one classified file with a colored photo of the legendary pink puffball and a list of his accomplishments. Pinkobashi looked rather intimidating with his look on his face, baring his teeth. The others did not show the bravado that he had.

"Pinkobashi. Nicknamed the Pink Blur. Formerly a member of the group Destined Providence who served in the liberation of the Eastern Euelropean front a few years ago. Age 23. Corporal Rank."

"He was the only one out of 6,000 possible candidates that we selected from our best men. Only he and a few dozen were able to muster enough prowess to present themselves as suitable soldiers for our empire. We have no other options. We don't want our project ruined. They're our only hope for winning this war!"

"It's your decision!" The other general coaxed the prime minister.

"Just get me Pinkobashi!" It was shortly decided.

"Thank you, sir. Your nation is very proud of you." They shook hands.

"Can I meet him?" The rest of the generals shook their heads in dismay. They did not want him to know of their asset right away.

"No. We have dispatched Alexander as part of our search-and-retrieval mission. He's our best man for the job."

"Fine. You're welcome." The four puffballs readily performed the Poponian royal salute after the Prime Minister signed the agreement.

"Glory to the empire!" the group asserted.

Suddenly, a masked Poponian soldier was silently standing there right by the office. One could not tell his allegiance outright. He was closely listening to the conversation from the hallway by the door. He watched the three generals exit the room without them noticing. Luckily he was disguised as a soldier on guard duty. There were reports of some guards being killed by anti-government revolutionaries but they didn't know it was he himself that infiltrated the palace. There was no use trying to kill the Prime Minister or his servant Dee. He had no chance. He had more important things to take care of. The generals were followed on their way to enter the PC-7 royal military transport plane at a nearby airport as it prepared to take off. He went up to it to affix a small black tracking device on the side of the plane as its engines were starting to rev up. The plane had lifted off the runway and climbed into the dark skies a few minutes later. Now he knew where they were headed. The hidden trooper was satisfied by how successful the event was.

He answered the buzzing cell phone in his pocket. Somebody important was calling him.

"The deed is done, milord."

"Excellent work, my apprentice."


	2. Chapter 1: Aftermath

CHAPTER 1

Vacation Home of Pinkobashi, Corporal 1st class formerly serving under Destined Providence, one of the legendary military groups that brought down the DeDessian empire during the Great DeDeDe War.

Lewndoon, Poponia, 1000 hours

Pinkobashi awakened from his restful slumber in his vacation home in Poponia. He was but then a veteran by the time he heard of it. His home nation of Amerikirb that he saved from total annihilation at the hands of the DeDessian enemy was but a distant memory. He had forgotten his participation in the Great Dedede War in that narrowly decimated all of civilization within a period of ten years. Being a former member of Destined Providence, before the elite group was dissolved by the Amerikirban government, had its benefits. They were treated as if they were servants worthy of godlike status due to their legendary exploits. Both superpowers were but shadows of their former selves. These former democracies slowly decayed into tyrannies and met their ends in brutal ways. The doctrine of might makes right was swiftly quelled. A state of anarchy ruled much of the land for years. Once the new governments were ushered in and the authoritarian demagogues were thrown out, everything seemed peaceful. That is, until the rise of King D6. The mad king was unstoppable. This was especially due to his armies of fanatically-loyal Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos. In addition, rumours from Intelligence suggested that Dedenidean forces had access to technology years ahead of our most advanced weapons. Pinkobashi kept having nightmares of the possibilities of the enemy beating them to the point that he saw visions of the city ahead of him burning in flames from a bombing run.

The military system being drilled into his head had taken a great toll on the warrior.

Pinkobashi watched the land from his humble dome-like house in the rural area of the Lewndoon. He had the opportunity to live off the land without the government telling him what to do. Pinkobashi found refuge with odd jobs an unsung hero of the war, yet he had no choice. He had nothing to do with the new war raging across the planet. He wanted to distance himself from the affair, but there was no avoiding it. After checking for military benefits in the mail, he turned on to lay on the couch and watch the television screen. The alerts were coming from the bottom of the television screen. Global markets were becoming increasingly unstable. Evacuations of major cities were underway. It was until recently that Poponia had decided to incorporate Amerikirb into its sphere of influence. With the Star Warrior Defense Force reorganized into a global force, Amerikirb had no choice but to commit its population to aid its longstanding ally Poponia.

Pinkobashi rummaged through a series of old newspaper clippings warning of invasions and enemy spies from foreign lands. Everything seemed not too out of the ordinary for the young warrior.

He reflected on his memories with serving in his platoon of world-class specialists, Destined Providence. The memories of the war never left him. The pictures taken by the men were but windows into the horrors of the past. Hikariowataru was the only cute refugee puffball he really trusted out of that group. Being the intelligent spy with her idealistic concern for peace, he as a youth saw her as the precious angel that watched over him and took after her security. After the war was over, everything changed. She saw him as a young recruit to their organization while the others scoffed at his likelihood. She knew he had potential as a loyal warrior of the Star Warrior Defense Force and set a fine example for him. He always kept a picture of her by his lonely decaying nightstand. The image of her was free of her combat harness, laying herself across the bed in a seductive pose like he saw in his magazines. Pinkobashi could never forget feeling the lush white skin brushing up against his legs, and listening to that seductive Euelropean accent of hers as they caressed in the dark. Her furtive black eyes were always watching him. The mysterious spy disappeared into the shadows along with the rest of the group some time ago. When he personally learned from high command that they all vanished without a trace, the thought of where they were kept his mind constantly occupied. There was no way to contact them, with their cell phone numbers and email addresses were no longer active. They could all have mysteriously died. His nightmare would never end.

Pinkobashi kept close watch of any intruders that entered his domain.

He received a letter of the news when he last knew of her. They were supposed to all be brought back to Amerikirb and be reactivated, but that order was never enacted. Everything changed when he found out his new assignment.

A gigantic helicopter gunship appeared overhead, its massive echoes reverberating over the ground as it lowered onto the premises of his humble abode. His belongings were shaking erratically. This unmarked helicopter may have been a stealth variant outfitted with a quiet rotor system. The landing gear opened up and gently set itself onto the cold pavement. As soon as it touched down on the pavement, the propellers kept whirring at a powerful speed. He quickly glanced out of the window and retreated back to get his high-powered rifle that he won as a trophy from the war. Even if it was several years old, it still worked perfectly. This whole thing could be a trap.

The side door of the aircraft lowered immediately after the hissing of the lock sounded and the stairs descended. A black shadowy figure in a trenchcoat appeared with a gun. An assassin?

The messenger was a lone red puffball sporting a cool set of shades and a sergeant's cap. His uniform was clad in elite black camouflage. The purple spiral-looking patch on the arm of his combat vest was recognized as belonging to Galaxy Squad, a legendary platoon of elite warriors. The two warriors saluted and shook hands.

"Commander Alexander, Galaxy Squad. Nice to see you, Corporal. I see you're all ready to go ahead with your new assignment."

"What are you doing here?"

"You're coming with me."

"Definitely, sir."

"Best not to bring your gun. Where we're going, guns like the one you have are ancient history." Pinkobashi could not tell whether to have approval or anger against his favorite gun being described in that fashion.

"Follow me to the transport. You've got a new team to deal with. Only you're going to be on the front lines. I've heard something about their use of the superweapons."

"What the heck?! It's just like the Great DeDeDe War all over again!"

"Here's the images taken with our spy satellites over DeDenidean-occupied territory a few hours ago. From what it looks like according to the top brass, these are not ordinary superweapons". Pinkobashi was not surprised in the slightest. There was no time to explain. From there, he had to be shipped out for battle ASAP.

* * *

Coverington Alpha Base. Poponian Training Facility

Training facility for the elite Poponian troops, namely Galaxy Squad, being the newest asset. Area adjoining Cawcun Royal Air Force Base.

Poponia, Sand Canyon. 1300 Hours

It took a smooth flight of several hours, but the new guy was more than excited to get started once again. Pinkobashi passed the time reading the in-flight magazines from the co-pilot's quarters. He had some time to reflect on the developing events. Now, it was time to get off of the aircraft. He slowly stepped off the landing ramp at the back of the aircraft to greet his new friends. He noticed the busy air patrols of several Poponian fighter aircraft trailing thousands of feet above him as he reached the entrance.

"Pinko, meet your mates."

"Corporal Pinkobashi reporting for duty, sir!"

"At ease." the leader affirmed to their new subordinate. He was surrounded by five other puffballs of different colors. All of them had their distinguishable features and effects.

"They remind me a lot of Destined Providence. They look so familiar."

"That's because they were modified to be a superior unit to Destined Providence. They were trained to better in every way."

"Speaking of Destined Providence, do you have any idea what happened to them? It's been years since we last made contact."

"I'm afraid to say that that information is above my pay grade." Pinkobashi seemed disappointed at the notion that even the supreme military leaders of the world had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the lost heroes of the Great DeDeDe War since they vanished.

One of the females in the squad heard his name and looked at him. She was blue-skinned with short blue hair and large circular spectacles. She looked rather shy with her pouty crystal blue eyes, somewhat surprised, trying to contain her delight for the fresh young upstart. She applied a smile. One larger green-colored puffball stepped out of the fray with his muscular arms appearing fresh from a daily workout.

"This is Jack, the heavy weapons guy."

"Much obliged, mate." He smiled as he gripped his newfound friend's eyes with delight.

"You must have been working out."

"Thanks, mate. I've got these from benchpressing heavy machine guns all day for the past six months. Check this out." He rushed over to press up a bar bell with ten machine guns stacked on top of each other connected to a line rather quickly ten times in a row. "See. I've still got it. No sweat."

"This young one in particular is Isha, our technology specialist and resident genius". This puffball seemed familiar, right down to the Euelropean accent.

"I've heard a lot about you, Pinkobashi." The nerdy puffball adjusted her glasses to inspect his physique.

"I bet you have. There's no need to boast." The other members dismissed him and went on their merry way.

"Was it something I said!?" Pinkobashi was perturbed.

"Sorry, Pinkobashi. Jack and I and the rest of the team have to go to the briefing room. We need to be briefed on the new mission. Don't want to be late. " The girl in glasses rushed off with Jack and his comrades.

"Never mind."

"Pinkobashi, you can meet the rest of them later. They tend to not be so communicative when dealing with newcomers. Let me show you around the base."

"Sure."

Pinkobashi, reassigned after Destined Providence was dissolved by the Amerikirban government, was still worried about the effects of the horrors developing overseas. He never forgot that his former comrades took everything with them. He was more than happy to meet with the legendary platoon of Galaxy Squad. Everyone was on high alert for their presence.

"Mr. Pinkobashi, this matter is vital to Poponian national security. Everyone else is well versed in knowing about the matter at hand."

The only thing that mattered was the tears of the Blood Moon.

Pinkobashi and Alexander walked through the new secret base to tour the location. Alexander had already showed him the battle quarters, the map, and his personal. Now all that was left before he got to formally meet the rest of the members of the team what he believed was the best part of the base: the secret armory, which just so happened to border the laboratory. The base wasn't' exclusively there for military purposes.

"Come on, we need you to harness the power of this awesome weaponry. Without this, our regular army has no chance on beating this monstrosity."

"Who designed this?"

"It's this fellow, Deenon. Hey there, Deenon." He patted the shoulder of the bespectacled elderly Waddle Dee with frizzled hair and bushy mustache working on his latest invention. Being a neat freak, he immediately dusted off his lab coat and readied to shake hands.

"Hallo. Pleased to meet you, comrade."

"This is Dr. Deenon Deeheimer. He is the brains behind our group. He was formerly an exile from Dedenidea, being the chief scientist who played an instrumental role in alternative energy research. He and his team discovered the rare element known as Deenonium found exclusively in underground samples of the Blood Moon. He was a pioneer among his peers in formulating the famous Blood Moon hypothesis. Now, he among others is working to reach out into other fields of research that are vital to Poponian national security."

"Zey thot I vaz insane. But I proved zem wrong."

Blood tears? I thought those were just myths. Pinkobashi thought to himself about his nightmares. He recalled of his dream of the enemy possessing a majority of the fragments. He learned it from translating the ancient texts from ancient civilizations that he studied in college shortly before joining the service. These all surrounded about the legend of a mysterious object known as the Blood Moon and its relationship with extraterrestrial activity. These strange findings of disappearances and sightings of unidentified flying objects in the news could have no possible relation to what happened ages ago. These occult findings had no easy explanation. The Blood Moon was definitely at the center of it.

"By harnessing ze power of ze Blood Moon, zere can be many applications. Look here, for instance. Zis object contains za red crystal zat can be uzed to power electrical lighting that can last for a nearly endless amount of time. Ze source is utterly limitless." Now it all became clear.

The Blood Moon, a giant red comet that crashed on Pop Star during ancient times, was broken up into countless fragments upon impact and scattered across the world over millennia. Despite being called the Blood Moon, the comet clearly resembled a moon in its appearance and blood-red color to the ancients. The size of the impact that annihilated much of the planet heralded a warning to the ancients that the world was going to end.

"Ja...I know vhat you are thinking...because of the properties of these Blood Moon tears, the element is highly sought after. It's quite a shame, I'm afraid. Many groups are willing to kill each other over this thing...vhich is vhere you come in..."

Legend has it that those who obtain enough samples of the Blood Moon will be unstoppable. The fragments hidden in the ground are called 'tears'. Such fissile materials stored in fragments of the Blood Moon can allegedly contain enough energy, when combined together, to annihilate entire cities. The Blood Moon's fragments act like a limitless energy source that can dramatically enhance the power of a nation's weapons. The ancients, in spite of their warnings, succumbed to their very lust for power and wiped themselves off the map in the process. Nowadays, Blood Moon samples are highly sought after for their great value as blood diamonds. Dedenidea has a massive army and numerous high-ranking assassins on its payroll searching for samples of it around the world. King D6 had recently acquired a massive depot rich in the material in eastern Euelrope and has it heavily guarded. Apparently, the King himself had taken wind of these developments and is convinced of its legendary properties. The rumors are supposedly true. Poponia has acquired some samples of the powerful element, yet is currently struggling to find an effective way of weaponizing it to the extent that Dedenidea has.

"Thank you for showing me..."

"You're velcome...unfortunately, I'm late for a meeting with someone...see you later..." Deenon put down his materials and grabbed his papers before he rushed out of the room.

"See you later.

The commander held a particularly long-barreled gun in his arms. This strange-looking weapon had a glowing orange sphere where its barrel was supposed to be. Several electrical cords spiraled along the the barrel. He squeezed the trigger to briefly generate an electric beam that brightly glowed.

"What's this?" Pinkobashi questioned Alexander as he tried to touch the weapon.

"What you're looking at is the latest in Poponian military engineering. We've been perfecting this project over the past three years. This one in particular is the Beam Heavy Machine Gun."

"What kind of technology is this?"

"Copy-ability."

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"Really. This is why we're getting desperate. We're getting clobbered by the enemy at every turn. We're forced to suck, literally."

"What? As in inhaling? It's too dangerous given the circumstances."

"Yes. But we can copy the ability of our enemies and use it against them."

"Yes. I know. What are you getting at?"

"We've been able to use the ability of our enemies and fashion our own weapons."

Pinkobashi was eager to test out these new experimental weapons himself, but nothing seemed to work for him. He needed the proper training. "Really?"

"Think about it. Unlimited ammunition. Nigh-invincible durability. Elemental power sources. All from acquiring the genetic likeness of the most dangerous beings from all over Pop Star. We have detected over thirty different elemental types that can be easily weaponized. You don't have to expend much energy to use it. It sure makes sucking unnecessary."

"I hope the enemy doesn't know about this."

"I hope so too."

From behind them, in the shadows of the base in a corridor, one black figure loomed in the distance without their immediate knowledge. Hearing the conversation with a keen sense for detail, it was clear what the outcome was. The shadow belonged to one of the Knights of Spatha. The mysterious masked warrior raised a black cell phone to contact his unseen superior.

"They know."

* * *

Castle DeDenidea; Royal castle of his highness King D6 of DeDenidea, located in the capital of DeDenidea.

DeDenidos; DeDenidea. 1800 hours

It was nightfall at the throne room of Castle Dedenidea, the royal residence of his highness.

King D6 sat busily on his throne, adorned with a brightly glowing crown of several trinkets. He proudly touted his golden sceptre from beside his royal chair, and wore his red robe and long coat with pride. He swiftly clicked a large button on the right armrest to a soft ping. It was an incoming online chat call, a professional business meeting held in the confines of his humble throne room. A giant television screen appeared from the ceiling and quickly flipped out about twenty feet in front of the chair and adjusted itself to the King's field of vision. The main screen flickered on. On the screen appeared a charming purple-skinned, purple-haired vampire with a large chin. His black-framed, orange-tinted sunglasses went well with his navy blue suit and colorful lavender tie. He sported a devilish smile. It was Customer Service, all the more willing to consult with his most valuable client.

"How can I help you, King D6?"

"I need a weapon that can clobber those there Poponians!"

"That's what we do best at NME."

"Absolutely. I need you to do a favor for me, Customer Service guy."

"Excellent, my friend. Perhaps I could interest you in -"

"Give me your best Demon Beast! I need it now!"

"You must be looking for the Waddle Tank." The image of the monster appeared on screen. Nothing was detailed but a massive black shadow shaped like the body of a Waddle Dee on top of a pair of massive treads.

"Hmm. This one looks pretty intimidating. What does it do?"

"It's a devastating beast, perfect for any invasion. It's entirely mechanical in nature, meaning it doesn't have to be operated by a tank crew. It's targeting systems are incredibly accurate with an impressive range of several miles. As an added bonus, it has a mighty main cannon that can attack front line bases and enemy tanks with the strength of a hundred bombs. The only disadvantage is that it's very slow due to its massive size. It'll make quick work of your enemies if you give it enough time. Their land-based forces are no match for its many weapons."

"I think it will come in handy just for the occasion. You see, I'm trying to invade this country."

"You mean the same one you said were going to invade but failed many times?"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing, your highness."

"I'll take it."

"How much do you want for it?"

"That'll be 500,000,000 blood tears, my dear King." He knew for certain that the market for Blood Moon samples was nearly cornered by the King, yet the Poponian leadership still had the majority. Backed with the threat of force, he was driving a hard bargain for his customers. If he weren't so gullible, the King would remark that it was downright extortion, yet it did not matter. Ensuring national security was the top priority.

"Certainly."

"Excellent choice! I'll be sure to offer free shipping with your order."

"Sure. Let me pay from the royal bank account." He swiped his card into the machine to extract the funds from the card. The bar read out 500,000,000 with a rather loud ka-ching.

"Excellent. Your monster will be shipped within three to five business days."

"That's perfect. See you later, old friend."

"Pleasure doing business with you, your highness!" The screen flickered off and the television screen swiftly retreated into the ceiling of the throne room before the ceiling closed up.

King Doo quickly entered the throne room as soon as the conversation ended, holding a rather interesting draft of battle plans delivered straight from the battlefield.

"Your highness, we have urgent news!"

"What is it?"

"Reports from our spies indicate that the enemy forces are weak at their southern border. Our forces our ready to move on your orders."

"Excellent."

"The reports indicate a sense of negligence on the part of their leadership, sir."

"Yes. Their leadership's corruption will be the end of them. We can amass our remaining forces from Green Greens in one all-out attack. We can scramble their communications and run right over their scouts. Our troops can accomplish this easily. If this continues, we'll be able to reach the capital city within seven days without much trouble."

"Isn't this a bit harsh, great king?"

"No. It's not."

"What about the risk of a heavy counterattack? It's bound to happen as soon as we are seen."

"Even then, our new asset will make quick work of them."

"We're totally outmatched. They'll easily make wind of it. It'll still send a message to them."

"We have the technology. I was just online with Customer Service. Just acquired a beast."

"What kind of beast is it?"

"It's the Waddle Tank. It's supposed to be really powerful."

"Delightful, my king. It just might work."

"If our operation fails, we could try to exploit the instability within the country. Their population will easily blame the leadership."

"Even then, we won't be able to invade the country outright. I think just attacking the border will be enough as a demonstration of our might. It'll come to them as a rude awakening."

"Yes. They've never directly faced the wrath of our mighty self-propelled artillery within their own borders."

"No. They haven't. At least, not yet. Not to mention the fact that this new tank of yours has a powerful range from its own internal artillery alone. We need to keep it guarded at all times."

"Absolutely, your highness."

"King Doo, ready my troops. We are going to attack the border." He gripped his hands together in a scheming fashion. A devilish grin formed on his face.

"Right away, your highness." The invasion was ready. Poponia would finally face its day of reckoning.


	3. Chapter 2: Infiltration

CHAPTER 2

Coverington Alpha Base. Main training facility for elite teams of the Poponian army, most notably Galaxy Squad.

Breestool, Poponia, Great Brikirb. 1500 hours

Pinkobashi was already trained for the upcoming confrontations with the enemy, well aware of what his duty was. He was able to quickly acquaint himself with the team shortly after the battle simulation. It all came back to him within a few minutes of trial and error. The training routine seemed oddly reminiscent of his training when he was but a young recruit several years ago. Commander Alexander arrived on the scene with his new copy ability weapon to inform them about their new advantages.

"Each one of you have a weapon that best fits your performance in the training routine. You will use it according to your strengths." Each of the team members were presented a weapon that best coordinated with their skills in combat.

"Ruby, judging by your great accuracy, you are worthy of the Fire Sniper."

"Sweet. I'll never miss with this!"

"You can even lock in through tracking the heat signature of your enemies. Let's just say that it gives your weapon extra firepower. With high impact incendiary rounds, this will be a very effective anti-tank weapon. It can set fire to almost anything! Just turn up the heat with the side dial to its maximum setting and set the enemy ablaze."

Isha acquired a blue gun with ice shards surrounding it and held it closely. "This is the Ice Grenade Launcher. Very dangerous anti-personnel weapon. You can even freeze enemies and use them as projectiles. If you lower the temperature enough below a certain threshold, even the mightiest weapons will shatter into shards of glass. As an added bonus, it can make wicked chill snow cones."

"Sweet!"

Jack acquired a rather large rocket launcher with sparks adorned all around it.

"You are best suited for the Spark Rocket Launcher, one of the strongest Copy Ability Weapons in our arsenal. This weapon has near infinite ammunition. You can fire plasma sparks that can travel around the ground and through walls. Once fully charged, the voltage can incapacitate nearby enemies and absorb the electronics of any piece of technology, effectively shutting them down and rendering them inoperable. The spark can also home in and explode."

"Blaze, your expertise in defoliants and explosive tactics have awarded you the Burning Flamethrower. Like ice, it also works as an effective anti-tank weapon. Even the sturdiest armor can melt within seconds. It's quite terrifying."

"This'll hurt!"

"Ariana, considering you're the best when it comes to close quarters, the shotgun is best. The Cutter Blade Combat Shotgun is capable of firing a series of metallic blades that can tear through armor and easily compromise unsuspecting troops. It can even be set to rebound like a drone right back to the user. It moves so quickly it knows when to stop and not hurt you through its sensors. It can also be equipped with explosive beams that can set anything ablaze."

"I have earned this one! The Sword Gun can project mighty sword beams from thin air and turn them into deadly projectiles. If you generate enough force, you can cleave right through solid steel almost effortlessly. However, its ammunition is limited. You need to have enough energy to use it." The commander reminded them.

"Do we have any anti-air-based ones? Wing? Jet? Rocket? Tornado?" Isha questioned her commanding officer.

"Not yet, my friend. This technology will take time to get used to. Remember that these are just prototypes. They have not been tested on the battlefield yet. It may take months, even years before they're mass-produced. Consider yourself test subjects for the time being."

"Yes!" the young genius ejaculated. Being the nerd, she was more than happy to try it out.

Pinkobashi was granted the same beam copy ability weapon that he saw in the lab earlier.

"Pinkobashi, your prowess has rewarded you the Beam Heavy Machine Gun. This is a powerful semiautomatic weapon that can fire off a volley of chains of light from a close range. This method is very effective in incapacitating scores of infantry. You can also charge it up and fire off a concentrated explosive energy blast that can easily destroy most tank armor. You can also fire off a cycled beam whip attack that can do more damage to foes at the cost of a short range. Overall, it's a balanced weapon."

"Alright! When do we get to use these?"

"Whenever the situation demands."

Harpe, the loyal member of the Knights of Spatha, was on his way to document the affairs of the Poponian National Security team in their top secret base. Only, he wasn't Harpe at all. He was Hal, a lone security guard, inspecting the premises around the base. He played his part well. He had acquired a legitimate identity clearance, and adopted an elaborate disguise that could fool any one, complete with standard issue guard uniform and battle weapons. He was scheduled to inspect the outer premises. He was able to infiltrate the base rather easily. All that was left was to gather the information and run off with a piece of the evidence. Perhaps he could bribe one of their members inside the base to get answers. His partner was the real insider. It wasn't just the Blood Moon samples that they were after. It wasn't the copy ability weapons. He had to recover any information about what was coming from the vital Project Blackburn, the secret project to develop the next generation in aerial superiority weapons. This could easily turn the tide of the war in favor of their enemies. Apparently they had an experimental aircraft stowed away in a hidden area of the base, specifically the complex of K-71 that was left to store a hangar of a prototype stealth fighter that had seldom been tested in combat. Harpe was there to listen in on the conversation and report back to his superiors.

"Apparently, they are housing a stockpile of what are known as Copy Ability Weapons."

"Copy ability? I see. But there surely is more than that. Where is our lone asset? Answer me!"

"Master Spatha….I….."

"I'm not paying you to stand around like a degenerate oaf! Get me..."

"He's right here. He's on the line."

"Excellent…."

Hal busily hacked into the base's mainframe and unlocked the button.

The spy had easily infiltrated the ranks of the base and located what was valuable to him. Out from the backpack he unveiled a strange futuristic device. The spy had scanned the perimeter using a glowing scanning device within a few seconds. Everything on the computers was hacked. The person had some kind of strange voice modulator. You couldn't tell who it really was behind the mask.

"Master. I have found what you are looking for."

"Excellent…"

"You can destroy these copy ability weapons, sir? We don't know what they're capable of."

"Absolutely. Quite easily, in fact. As you know that I have handled these types of weapons before. They may have unlimited ammunition, but the wielders have limited fortitude."

"I thought that these weapons were brand new!"

The commander peacefully sitting at his desk erupted in a fit of rage at the alert.

"There's been a security breach. We've been infiltrated. A spy?! In our base! Initiate lockdown perimeter Alpha!"

The rest of the group grabbed their weapons and trailed behind their commanding officer.

The hidden intercom bellowed in Hal's ear. It was really important that he didn't screw this up.

"Quick, tell him it's an error! Do it!"

The alarms were blaring. Everyone was panicking. Deenon had no choice but to frantically run for cover under the nearest table.

"Sir, it's a false alarm."

"What do you know?! Someone's been in the secret hangar in K-71! You were assigned to guard this sector, Hal!" The lone spy obscured by the darkness was remotely shutting down the security systems. The camera displays in the base only showed crackles and static.

"It's nothing, sir! Call it off!" The commander proceeded to bark in his face like a rabid animal.

"Are you lying to me, soldier!? Come with me! You're going to have plenty of explaining to do! If this gets any worse, I'll have you court-martialed for this!"

Hal scanned the screen to notice that there were no multiple colors on the infrared cameras.

"I can prove it! Look over there! There's no heat signature in the premises!"

"Hmm...you're right, Hal. That seems odd…There are no disturbances...As if I believe you?"

The spy had infiltrated the hanger with ease. The cameras were all disabled. The doors leading to it were locked down. Only the hangar bay was completely open to escape from.

Spartha screamed in the ears of his spy. "You have the plans. You know what to do!" The spy quickly noticed the lone highly developed fighter jet in the hanger. How convenient! The two soldiers were swiftly dispatched with ease with a quick slash of the combat knife and their bodies disposed of. Climbing into the cockpit, the mole adjusted the controls and prepared for takeoff. It's almost as if he knew everything there was to know regarding its operations manual. Everything there was to know about the base was second nature to him. It just so happened to be too far away for the rest of the team to catch up to him on foot.

"Just great! Whoever erased the plans from the massive hard drive is escaping in one of our jets!" The base commander complained.

"What do you think was on it?" Pinkobashi asked.

"That's classified!"

The bold commander itching for a fight grabbed the microphone and blasted over the intercom to warn the patrols in the area. He acted on instinct.

"Attention all airborne aerial units! This is not a drill! An unauthorized pilot is flying over our air space! Shoot it down immediately!" The commander saw two F-25s racing toward the ascending black fighter plane.

"This is Diamond Leader. Joined with Diamond 2."

"Roger that. We have a rogue pilot on board that aircraft. Don't reason with it. Shoot to kill."

"Ok. Diamond Leader standing by. Ready to engage the enemy. Entering attack position." The planes disappeared into the clouds beyond their sight.

The pair of ace F-25 fighters streaked toward the twilight skies to engage the rogue pilot in a deadly game of dogfighting above the sea of clouds. Within a matter of two minutes, the traitor was within firing range. After a series of swooshes and explosions, two flaming heaps of metal parts fell from the sky and crashed against the ground. They saw one parachute fall from the sky. Only this time, the body of the lone survivor was limp. The shock of what happened must have finally done him in.

What was left on the intercom after a scream and a powerful explosion was static. There was no more response from the members of Diamond Squadron. The commander was tearing up. He touched Hal's shoulder in a solemn forgiveness.

"Never mind. It's not your fault son. I don't have to be so harsh. Just a fair warning. It's just your first day here."

"That was my friend."

"What?"

"Uhhh….the one fighter pilot of Diamond Squadron."

"That's what I thought you said. It's a shame they sacrificed themselves. They set an example for the rest of our base. Those two aces were supposed to lead our air forces in the event of a DeDenidean air raid. Come to think of it...it makes me think that the traitor must have known he was going to be facing our aces anyways...it's almost as if he had inside help. Hmmmm..."

"What the hell was that plane anyway?"

"Why the hell should I be telling you!? That's classified information!" Hal embarrassed himself.

"Whoever is going to be on the losing end of that thing's crosshairs...it's their problem now."

The lone black fighter plane swiftly barreled through the desert skies at speeds of over two and a half times the speed of sound. The night crept over the land as any future attempts failed. The spy established communications with the leader of the Knights of Spatha himself.

"Mission accomplished. One data disc. One advanced fighter jet to go. Do I get my reward?"

"Absolutely, my apprentice. The King will be most pleased."

* * *

It was dawn in the Poponian Capital, Popoken. The largest city in the country with the largest population, literally at the center of the country. Only a few hundred miles away was the great castle overlooking the distance amid gloomy reports of the fight on the southern front. The Royal Family, tasked with not playing a particular role in political affairs, was getting mixed messages about the oncoming war. On one hand, they denounced the crimes of the Dedenidean scoundrels on their southern borders. On the other hand, they were unwilling to take a stand and settle in command of the developing situation. Her family was lamenting the end of days. Their vast empire of fortune was on the verge of falling off the cliff, and one wrong move could destroy everything that built their legacy. Once the Dedenidean economy abandoned gold as a reserve currency and punitive economic sanctions were applied, the world was cast as a die by the whims of fate. The battle lines were already drawn. The world was thrown into chaos.

Korbia Poponiana was well suited to give her remarks after lunch was over. Her pink skin was warm from the sunlight beaming down on her face. She wafted the warm air on her face with her expensive hand fan, rather bored at the developing situation while reading the news. Her grandfather seemed to be the epitome of steadfastness, remaining busy at his chair, pondering the situation. His trail of thought was cut off by his granddaughter's voice. She was busily doing her stubby nails and putting on perfume. Though she had been trying to appear complacent with the press, she had doubts about her future.

"Daddy, why don't you do something about this bloody war?!"

"We're doing everything we can to ease the tensions. All diplomatic options have failed at this point. We can sue for peace and keep what remains of our empire while we still can. You will be safe, my dear."

"Giving up is not what my uncle did at the Battle of Green Greens."

"I as your grandfather am very proud of you for winning in the national debate team. You know, with the political skills you have, you can be Prime Minister one day." He dodged the question.

"Why thank you." She smiled haughtily at the prospects of being a powerful leader on the world stage. As a member of the upper class, she was of the elite, the best and brightest, very well-educated, groomed to enhance the interests of her father and her people. She was well versed in the texts of leadership and knew all the tricks to becoming a master debater. The only major gripe was her prissy attitude. "But didn't you rig the debates so I could win?"

"Not necessarily the best way to describe it."

"Never mind. We need some action. I need to do my part. I'm going out there. Put me in." She knew that she couldn't get drafted in the service because of her royal bloodline.

"Why in the name of the ancients are you putting yourself in harm's way?"

"Don't we have some kind of heroic figures who can do such things? No!"

The king hotly refused. "Of all the things I would do for you, I wouldn't make you enlist."

"Your friends are weak-willed. I wouldn't make you just enlist in the armed forces. I can personally appoint you a troop. You can head an elite detachment of the royal guard."

"There's no need for any of that! I can be a soldier of fortune then!"

"Please! What would a young lady such as yourself be doing on the battlefield anyway? Even if females are allowed to serve on the battlefield, they have contempt for their commanding officers. When I served in the military, they just did all the housework and never decided to venture on the front lines..."

"All right...anything. Father, what do I have to do?" She looked at the package tossed to her, wrapped in a neat yellow bow.

"Open it."

She was too reserved to have her friends over for her birthday party. She seemed somewhat of a socialite. At least they weren't there to be embarrassed.

"Here...it's a Poponian family heirloom…" It was just an umbrella, a rather strange looking metallic one.

"Are you kidding me?" She laughed heartily as she flapped it around awkwardly. "Seriously..."

"Squeeze the handle" She noticed a knob near the handle. After spreading it out from where the holder was a spray of high-caliber bullets spewed. The king ducked and ran for cover. She seemed shocked at what she held and was unable to hold it. All the bullet holes riddled the room. Her high-pitched shriek filled the room as if she were a witness to a murder case. Once she dropped the parasol she nearly had a heart attack.

"Now, it's for your protection. We found it just for you, darling. This here is the Arsenal Parasol." The king tried to pat her back.

"Plus you can look so stylish with it. Depending on the situation, it has all the fancy gadgets you need. Give it for a spin. The sensors inside it are able to determine what is active."

"There's no way you could have gotten this so easily. This must have cost a fortune."

"Not me. I got it from a loyal friend of mine."

"Entrust it with your life. The canaille don't have to know that the future of the family is at risk."

"Thank you"

"You're welcome sweetheart." The butler of the family came by to take care of the daughter.

* * *

Pinkobashi was busy sleeping with the rest of the guys on the bunk bed. After a long day of action and suspense, the puffball kept to himself. He really needed it. The world was bleak comes out from across a great light glowing behind a single shadow. It was pouring with rain, yet he still ran to the light. Then he stopped for a moment to hear a faint voice that he quickly recognized as a mother was calling for her only son. Only this time, he knew what was going to happen next. It was happening again. There was a silence, and two Waddle Dee troopers, donning the standard issue battle dress and being armed with their light DM-24 assault rifles. Both of the creatures were desperate to pleasure themselves. They took up the crying female puffball by the arms, stripping her necklace from her wearing neck, almost choking her as they tossed it in into the nearby drain. He unsheathed his combat knife and quickly jabbed right in the jugular of the enemy Dee. As the first one was slipping and bleeding to death, he tore out the knife within a few seconds and finished the other off in the same way.

The other puffball ran for safety as the ground began to shake. He looked up at the sky and observed a massive fleet of Dedenidean fighter and bomber aircraft howling over the plains. The only thing that was left in front of him was the emerging hellscape that devastated what was left of nature itself. Looking out, he began to see the shadows of a giant beast, a demon, rising. The red eye then looked down to him, and glowed again. The beast reared its ugly head and roared with an almost metallic growl. It charged toward him and stopped until he began to see its appearance, and stopped, looking at him. The wasteland seemed as if there was no place to hide, so he decided to run from the monster. It looked like a giant Waddle Dee. The feet of the beast could not be seen. It was fast approaching him. A giant explosion suddenly flashed right in front of his eyes and the monster disappeared from existence. Everything went black. He had no choice but to close his eyes and shield himself from the rude shock to his senses.

Pinkobashi is aroused from sleep again. Isha sat right on the bed, looking at him with curious eyes. Pinkobashi was slightly creeped out by her, even embarrassed at his violation of privacy, trying not to shout. He had forgotten that the right to privacy was effectively destroyed in the ensuing war. At least it wasn't the other females who would be more aggressive than the soft Isha herself.

"Hey there, Pinkobashi. We're being briefed..." proclaimed the young inventor creeping down from the top bed. She swaggered in front of him and admonished him. "Don't be late."

Pinkobashi rose from the bottom of his two seated bunk bed. He cowled at the sight of the lumbering heavy skulking toward him with his armor on along with the rest of the group. The long plane ride to the base was making him rather drowsy. The handler of Galaxy Squad gave the order to get the mission started. The rest of Galaxy Squad was eager to hear the news.

"I see you are all acquainted...now for your mission..." He then turned on the projector.

"Our satellites indicate the location of enemy forces a few hundred miles from our coastal borders. From here, you will be deployed in Green Greens to halt an invasion force that is heading in the direction of our forces. You must assist the allied troops against the DeDenidean forces by a small escort of stealth variants of three ST-239 troop carriers and six SF-152 fighters for support fire. Intelligence indicates that the armies are apparently being commanded by King Doo, the second in command of the entire DeDenidean army. The bastard had been evading our attention for some time. If you do manage to capture him, we will reward you handsomely. We project that the invasion force will be fairly small, about 2,000 Waddle Dee troopers. You will then will move the small defense force to ambush one of the highly defended forts about fifty miles ahead through the alleged Nightmare Forest. Research intel has discovered that the DeDenidean forces are using the forest as testing grounds for an unknown weapon...We believe that it is a large anti-vehicle/fortification platform used to blend into the environment and quickly dispatch troops and vehicles with ease." After a series of slides, he told the group that they had captured a small enemy base camp and had relayed them photographs of test plans through genetically engineering the plant life. Only one genetically augmented weapon had been created, and since it has been surrounded in so much secrecy it is heavily guarded, yet to the team's dismay, it will become very easy for them to dispatch. "Failure will result in the crippling of the factory lines of Green Greens which will cause it to quickly surrender to the enemy. The bio-weapon must be destroyed at all costs to prevent the domination of the Green Greens and the rest of Pop Star. Pinkobashi, I've learned from your records that you've fought this beast before."

"That is correct, sir."

"What do you recommend?"

"I'm not sure, commander, but judging that it's an organic weapon, I recommend anything that is fire-based for the mission. It will surely be useful."

"Good...I see that you have something useful, corporal."

The projector then turned off. "We know our mission. Thank you, sir." the commander answered to his superior.

"Alright men. We're expecting a light enemy force against us. We're ready to depart on our carrier planes. Come on!" They all reached the St-239s specifically modified to infiltrate over enemy air space and took off rather safely. The phrase "DESPERATE MEASURES-GALAXY SQUAD" was printed on the sides as a reminder of their critical role. Two giant aircraft flew off into the distance.

Hal was well aware of what he had to do. In order to avoid being tried as an enemy of the nation, he had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Leaving his post was the least of his worries at the time. He listened in on the conversation with a grim smile on his face. The handler of Galaxy Squad conversed with another elite general. The news of the failure piqued his interest. He left.

"Our men desperately need that support. Or else..."

"What the hell are you doing?! Galaxy Squad needs to get out of there! They need to turn back! It's too late!"

"Or else what?..." The computer monitors started to flash randomly with messages and footage of the front lines. The enemy was on the march. Poponian forces are planning a quick counterattack. The plan to retake the land of Green Greens from the enemy DeDenidean forces was becoming ever more precarious.

"This!"

Suddenly a series of blaring alarms echoed throughout the base. The soundwaves kept bouncing off the walls repeatedly. It was an incoming transmission from high command from the front lines of Green Greens close to enemy territory. Their attacking front was in retreat. Red lights flashed all around the situation room. The holographic map on screen displayed a massive wave of Dedenidean troops, tanks, and aircraft heading in the direction of the Poponian army. This one was much larger than anticipated. The relay from the scouts on the ground also showed video footage also revealing several Poponian infantry divisions being vaporized in seconds. Several garrisons of tanks were wiped out and reduced to smoldering wrecks from the enemy forces. They could observe at least a hundred tanks in position alongside many Waddle Dee infantry in position along a nearby network of heavily guarded bases. The enemy invasion force was much larger than previously realized. The last thing shown on the video was a panicking soldier aiming a rather shaky video camera toward a giant monster slowly moving inside a large base behind the rest of the enemy forces. Oddly enough, it looked almost like a giant metallic Waddle Dee. Everything was static once the enemy forces annihilated what was left of the scouts. DeDenidean forces were on the move.

"What?! That's impossible! We didn't warn them!"

"Can't! Communications are down!"

"No! We're fucked!"


	4. Chapter 3: Battle of Green Greens

Chapter 3

Green Greens. Grassy countryside area across from the Poponian coastline. Site of a major battle between Poponian and DeDenidean forces. Efforts by the Poponian military to retake the area have failed several times.

Green Greens, Czechun Republic. 1000 Hours

It was early in the afternoon when Dedenidean military forces were already there to start their invasion. It was no surprise once the aerial recon planes and AWACs in the area detected the vague radar signals that something large was approaching. With the communications intercepted in predicting a scout force, the amount of scanners detected a far larger output of the Poponean forces were still deceived by the enemy's awesome strength. The enemy was far more powerful than previously thought. The countryside of Green Greens was about to face the wrath of ten massive tank platoons and ten infantry divisions. Several infantry platoons of Waddle Dees marched alongside their orange and yellow weaponry adorned with the royal colors. Their steel monsters were on the march. The serene sky was blackened with the shadows of their menacing air force. At least a few dozen aircraft howled like ghosts over the solemn plains, with the scouts horrified at the sight of them.

The clouds of war were darkening over the horizon. There was no calm before the storm.

Alarms blared in the opposing forward operating base a few miles away. Within the confines of the command center, even the generals were shocked at the approach of the awesome enemy force with the strength of over 30,000. They were outnumbered, but not outgunned.

"Our nation is under attack! Prepare the strike teams! GET READY!" The voice of the supreme commander of the Poponian allied forces blared.

"SIR YES SIR!" the rest of the group responded in unison. Hundreds of regular Poponian troops charged headlong toward the enemy.

A lone Waddle Dee trooper looked out from the hatch of a DM-95 main battle tank with his binoculars. He quickly surveyed the forces as did the puffball from the other side of the battlefield. A keen observer could easily notice that both were fresh off of the training grounds and ready to head into the meat grinder.

One Poponean scout viewed the approaching tank companies as his comrades ran for cover. The sounds of gunfire and rocketfire boomed over the horizon. He shouted into the walkie talkie in horror. Communications were down. Nothing could stop the enemy advance.

"Multiple contacts in sight! We're completely overrun! Request air support to high command!"

King Doo was eager to retaliate against the enemy as much as ever.

"Ready the tanks! On the double!" The Dees silently performed their orders without question. The autoloaders loaded their rounds. "Ready! Aim! Get those tanks!"

The tanks rose their smoothbore main guns at about 140 degrees and aimed right toward their enemy targets as they moved into position. "FIRE!"

A series of loud blasts echoed throughout the forest and swiftly crashed over the plains. Within a matter of seconds the Poponian tanks were reduced to a pile of smoldering ash.

The puffballs perished after burning to death inside the tanks when there was no exit. Several high impact rounds darted across the battlefield on both sides. The luscious Green Greens was set ablaze in a matter of minutes. Several fiery roses blossomed over the cover of the dense forest. Animals were scurrying to safety as the woods were devastated from the intensity of the flaming gunpowder. It was only a matter of time before chaos quickly spread across the land.

"My king! It's working!"

"Excellent news!"

The second tank company drove to approach the Poponian tanks on the other side of the plain. The tanks each were rolling into position and ready to strike and continued hammering away at the front lines.

"There's too many of them!" One puffball trooper shouted at another in the trenches.

"Enemy forces inbound! Retreat! Get out of there!"

"Look out!" One soldier pointed at the sight of two metallic pink blurs descending toward them at faster than the speed of sound.

The Waddle Dees were rushing around their targets in a mighty charge. Suddenly, two metallic Bronto-Burt looking aircraft swept down as part of an unexpected attack run. The firing speed of 30 millimeter autocannons relentlessly pounded against the grass at a rate of 300 bullets per minute. The full brunt of the assault tore through the hull and penetrated the fuel tank and ammunition storage, causing a massive explosion that split the armored shell in two. One of the Poponian soldiers rolled out of the way only several feet away from the hailstorm. They were really leaving themselves vulnerable to attack. Luckily there was no returning attack run that time, or he would have been done in for sure. He retreated back.

"Our company is pinned down! Where the hell is that air support!" Air support had finally arrived in the form of several squadrons of jets flying toward the enemy advance in a traditional V formation. These highly advanced Poponian interceptor aircraft were recognized by Pinkobashi to be based off of the design of the F-25s. Pinkobashi had the privilege of flying in one of them during the Great Dedede War. Several years ago, those same planes were just experimental models that were nearly destroyed in a titanic battle over Float Islands. Their aerodynamic capabilities exceeded all expectations. They darted so gracefully in the clouds, tearing through the air at two and a half times the speed of sound.

"Enemy Burts inbound. We got a dozen over point 04. Take em' out."

"Roger! Weapons free."

The fighters lined their sights and opened fire with their machine guns. A few shots off one of the wings of the Bronto Burt aircraft caused the ensuing blast to tear apart the metallic casing housing the single pilot and tear the plane to shreds. The enemy planes fired off a few heat seeking missiles that trailed after them but were easily evaded. It was clear to the Poponian pilots that the DeDenidean Burts lacked both speed and handling. It was too fast for the enemy to react if they weren't strafing.

"You're not getting away from me that easy!"

"Get the rest of them. I need backup over here! Request reinforcements now!"

"Nope, I got this!" They fired their rockets. The Dedenidean pilot was almost able to get a lock on one of them, but he narrowly avoided certain death. A missile was caught on him and was fast approaching his craft. The pilot quickly pulled a strap over the top of the seat to eject from his plane and was able to open his parachute just over the trees. The Waddle Dee soldier was lucky that he didn't get caught after watching the shrapnel swiftly descend to the ruined battlefield below. He waddled off to his army without a scratch on him.

"Damn it! That coward just ejected! I wanted to finish em' off!"

"Too late! Enemy bombers incoming!" The two jets broke away from the squadrons. Galaxy Squad was right behind them as cover. The two carrier aircraft carrying three members of the legendary platoon aboard each flew side by side. A few fighters were in escort, their top priority assisting in their delivery to the drop off point.

Several carrier aircraft had deployed their regular detachment of troops, yet the best warriors were bound to already have a rough crash landing at any minute now.

"Ahhh!" A pilot beside them screamed over the intercom as a heat-seeking missile crashed right against the fuselage and exploded right underneath the stabilizer. The plane quickly disintegrated into a burning wreck and arched down toward the ground looked like a comet streaking toward the ground in the night sky. There was many a sight of those very comets over the horizon.

"Alright men. We have to take the command post over in Sector A4. Get ready to jump!" The commander ordered the group.

Pinkobashi was panicking from the flashbacks of the last war.

"Parachutes!?" He glanced to his left as he watched three puffballs fall from the transport. "You are the parachute! You didn't remember that from basic high-altitude training?"

"No sir."

"Don't be a wimp. The world is counting on you! All of us!" He said nothing. "Jump. Damn you!" Pinkobashi smirked and fell off of the lower platform to face nature itself. At the utterance of his superior's command, Pinkobashi regained his composure. The air was falling fast. Judging by the descending altitude of 30,000 feet at free fall speed. he had calculated that he had about 30 seconds before impact. He couldn't even bother to keep his eyes closed as he watched fighter aircraft performing ace maneuvers right above him. He sucked an airful of the frigid air as he plummeted to the ground. His body started to expand and inflate, catching the air as he swelled to almost two times his normal size. He quickly puffed himself up like a large balloon as the rest of the group did before him. For a brief moment, the warrior felt weightless as he held on for dear life. The rush of cold winds pushing on his body and the drag force that pressed against his face almost knocked the breath out of him. He was able to see what was left of Green Greens from so high up. He looked in the distance to see several troopers making the same descent. It was hard to remain in control, so he pushed himself up by wiggling his arms like a flightless bird, but he couldn't delay the inevitable. The warrior quickly exhaled a puff of air and fell to the ground like a rock. His lungs did not seem to feel any sign of giving out once he landed. He sucked in the air a couple of times before he got back on his feet and joined the rest of the mates. He noticed the other two of his squadmates right behind him near the burnt out trees. Jack the heavy and Ariana the close quarters expert stood together while scouting for any signs of the enemy. They seemed far away from the action, but it was surely not the time to let the mind wander.

Isha was briefly distracted by the tree, watching an apple fall to the ground. She was somewhat distracted by the impending danger. An enemy tank just fired its main cannon at their position. The heavy grabbed her at the arms and pulled her to the ground.

"Incoming fire!" the heavy bleated to the technical expert. There was no excuse to stay up.

"Get down!" The group ducked for cover and stayed down under the hillside as the dust cleared from the cannon fire that slammed against the hillside. It appeared to be a direct hit. The Waddle Doo tank commander closely surveyed the ground and decided to send a few scouts to search for any survivors. The tank remained motionless.

The commander of Galaxy Squad heard something in the distance. It was just the rumbling and rolling of treads of an entire tank platoon. Soon the steel beasts revealed themselves and were ready to strike at their prey. They all converged upon the plains and raised their mighty smoothbore cannons to level the hillside.

"Scatter!" The puffballs raced in different directions. One of the twelve tanks turned its machine gun turret and fired its chaingun but even its most accurate gunners were barely close enough.

They ran for cover as the tanks slowly approached them from behind, ready to pick them off.

"All right men! Ready your Copy Weapons! Take em' out!" Alexander withdrew his sword copy weapon as if he were unsheathing a sword and ran toward the enemy. He charged toward the infantry. Two of the Waddle Dee infantry opened fire, but he dodged the machine gun fire and readied a powerful slash that disintegrated them. Once the Waddle Dees were taken care of, he ran for the tanks.

Pinkobashi was surrounded by more and more infantry units as he unveiled his copy ability weapon. The Waddle Dee soldiers ran towards him, desperate for a fight. He tapped the trigger of the beam heavy machine gun and it sprayed a small chain of orange glowing light roughly five feet in front of the enemy troopers. Both were zapped with an extremely high voltage and quickly incapacitated. The corporal needed to get close to use that whiplike discharge of energy. He fired his beam cannon while he ran and zapped another group of three soldiers that noticed him when it was too late. He narrowly got shot a couple of times when he encountered the troop.

A Dedenidean tank had stealthily rolled up to him and aimed its main cannon at him from forty feet away. He held the button of his gun and aimed directly for the tank as its main cannon targeted him. The voltage shook around the barrel. It was only a few seconds before the shell from the tank was about to fire. The beam cannon crackled and charged to its maximum capacity. The bolt grew larger and larger until the ground started to shake. From the flashes of the impact it looked like the commander was glowing white and black as he shouted "Take this!" A giant bolt of plasma unleashed from the weapon and soared right in the direction of the enemy armor. The alarms inside the tank bellowed, warning of the incoming surge. The Waddle Dees inside were awestruck by how fast it zoomed by in the blink of an eye. They had no chance to react. They had disintegrated into stardust. A small crater remained underneath the impact zone.

"Alright! Who's next!" The remaining enemy tanks were getting closer and ready to bear a challenge.

Ruby quickly withdrew her Fire Sniper and took cover, engaging the bipod before she took aim at the tank with all six of the anti-tank ammunition rounds loaded in the cartridge. She pulled the silver bolt back and forward and turned on the heat signature scanner to find the tank colored various bright primary colors of orange, red, and yellow before she readied her shot. She was able to easily locate the source that generated the most heat from behind the crew compartment. She deeply inhaled and prepared to concentrate her aim toward the direction of the vital area. Once her heart rate began to slow down, everything seemed to slow down around her as she counted the seconds in her head. The sounds of the shrapnel grew louder. The target was right in front of the ammunition depot. She exhaled quickly and took the shot. Within a few seconds, the enemy tank was enveloped in a fiery explosion. Two Waddle Dee soldiers jumped out from the underbrush and prepared to land on the team in a surprise attack. Isha was right in their field of vision, but she was not expecting that to happen. She quickly withdrew her Ice Grenade Launcher and held down the trigger as hard as she could. A chilly blue mist produced from the barrel of the gun blew over the soldier with great force. The Waddle Dee froze right in place, completely encased in a large ice block and unable to move an inch. The frosty Dee soldier couldn't even appear embarrassed when he was being humiliated by the youngest member of their team right in front of his face. She was able to vaguely see the reflection of the other two Dees right through the block. She then swiped at the ice block as hard as she could with her right leg to send it careening toward the enemy. Both were knocked out from the impact. The ice cube had no signs of melting any time soon.

"Strike!" Isha smiled with pride.

"Good shot!" the scout congratulated her. The puffballs could hear the sound of descending jets rolling across the plains.

"Enemy fighters! Get out of the way!" the commander shouted. Two Bronto Burt aircraft swooped down to fire their machine guns. They pulled their triggers as fast as they could but the planes were too fast to catch them. The sonic booms from the engines nearly damaged their hearing.

The planes climbed up into the air and swept down for another attack run.

"They're coming around! Take em' down!" Jack launched a spark wave at a jet unloading its machine guns, causing the jet's electronics to spark and explode from the inside. The enemy pilot never saw it coming. The second one broke away and was quickly flying away from their sight.

"He's getting away! Paralyze em'!" Alexander shouted.

"You got it!" Jack carefully aimed his rocket launcher to lock on target and fired off a blast. The Dee pilot heard a warning sound from the incoming attack until it entered inside the plane without him noticing. An alarm blared as the pilot lost control of his aircraft. The Waddle Dee pilot noticed sparks and crackles that scrambled the craft's electronics. The indicators were spiraling out of control. The dials were blasting right off of the buttons and levers. There was no way to keep the flight stick steady, as it couldn't even budge. Before he knew it he was falling to the ground and had no choice but to brace for impact. He held his arms in front of his face and prayed for his safety. A giant thud decimated the ground below and filled the air with smoke. The plane was damaged beyond repair, yet the engine did not explode. The Dee uncovered his eyes and sauntered away from the wreckage around him. It was lucky for him to survive. He looked up saw the members of Galaxy Squad gathering around him and disarming him of his single pistol.

"Alright, you bastard! We got you where we want you!" Jack gripped the Dee by the throat with a menacing look on his face, eyes seething with rage. The Dee was struggling.

"Who do you work for!?" The Dee had no choice but to point toward the enemy base and tell the truth to prevent being tortured. The weaklings always crack easily under pressure.

"Thanks. Now we're taking you into Poponian custody!" The Dee was sobbing.

"Take him away!" a bunch of Poponian grunts decided to handcuff the Dee and fall back.

King Doo oversaw the ends of the enemy lines in a hastily constructed base far away from the Poponian border, watching with binoculars. Those Poponians were history. One loyal DeDenidean servant, a lone Waddle Dee of scout rank, presented him with a message from the front lines wrapped in a piece of paper. King Doo slowly reached for the frail object and carefully unwrapped it.

"What! They have Galaxy Squad on their side?! Who in the blazes are they?!" He looked at a picture of six 'most wanted' signs with pictures of them. Judging by the highly detailed images, they looked pretty dangerous. Even the three females had worn menacingly seductive looks. The Waddle Dee said nothing. He shrugged his shoulders as if it made no difference to him.

"What difference does it make! They're still our enemies!" Again, there was no response.

The messenger Waddle Dee heard his cell phone rumble. Much to his chagrin, it was his royal highness himself on the line. He motioned to King Doo and pointed at the phone.

"Thank you."

"King Doo, is that you?"

"Yes, your highness."

"What's going on?! I need a status report pronto!"

"Apparently, sir, we've been outmatched. Our invading forces are being routed. They just slaughtered an entire tank platoon within two minutes. We need to request reinforcements immediately! Up the bombing raids! Even burn the entire forest into a crisp if necessary."

"How can this be?! That's impossible!"

"Reports of what our scouts call a Copy Ability Weapon have made it on the comms link. Apparently these weapons are just like what happens when you consume an enemy and take its power. It's just that your power gets transferred into an ordinary weapon that can dramatically amplify its destructive power."

"We don't have a weapon that can beat it!

"Remember the thing you ordered from NME?"

"I certainly do!"

"I think we have no choice but to use it!"

"You're in command! You have my blessing!"

"Right, your highness!"

"Capture them immediately! Do whatever you can to subdue these terrorists! If not, destroy them! I issue a royal decree that these criminals will be caught and imprisoned to the fullest extent of the law! These mercenaries will face justice by the King personally!"

"I will lay down my life for you, oh great one!"

"Yes, you shall! Anyone who fails will pay dearly!"

"As your most honorable servant, I will not fail you!"

"Good luck!" The call ended. He handed the phone back to the Dee. He turned to the Waddle Dee to give a special order to the subordinates and vaingloriously patted on the head of the messenger as if he were simply a loyal domesticated animal. The Dee took great concern to not forget the message.

"Issue an order to the high command. Relieve the leading commanders of duty. Request reinforcements to back up our troops on the front lines. I will take the reins now. Make sure to let them know this is a direct order from His Majesty himself". The Waddle Dee listened intently and then quickly started to run in the opposite direction. King Doo yanked at his arm.

"One more thing…" King Doo pressed a big red button on the control panel. A massive door to the base opened. He stared at the awe inspiring sight of such a glorious beast as it moved out of the chamber, ready to destroy any and all that dared to oppose the lawful will of His Majesty. The Waddle Dee waddled away, ignoring the delight of his superior.

"It's time to try out our new weapon!"

Castle Dedenidea remained barren and drab while the King was guarded from behind the wall. There were reports of an imminent attack by Poponian spies constantly circulating amongst the press. With his most loyal troops being sent off to shed blood for king and country, all of the Dees were given his blessing. The King resided in his personal study, alone to himself, contemplating over how the world was better off under his divine reign. As the self-proclaimed emperor of Dream Land, he knew what was best for the people. No one else listened to him and dismissed him as insane. The Parliament made up of the Poponian elites had made a decision contrary to the will of the people living there. It really was just a democratic facade for the despotic elites. Behind all of the fluff and pompous arrogance, he secretly felt persecuted by all the problems of the world. The Poponians must have taken offense toward his country that he built through his own merits, jealous of his success. They maneuvered themselves into the conflict by attacking his allies with foreign spies. Their reckless alliance system that followed in their enemy's footsteps proved to be the final move that brought chaos upon the rest of the world. They claimed to be the victims but were the aggressors the whole time. The political leadership of the country deliberately put their own loyal troops in harm's way. The Poponians wanted to protect their overseas empire, claiming that it was threatened by outside forces. The Dedenideans really wanted peace but the propaganda says otherwise. It was dismissed as a misunderstanding before relations between the two countries finally broke down. He knew it was a sabotage. He recalled something odd at the peace summit mysteriously breaking down. He vaguely remembered that it was a black-dressed individual. It was some kind of masked assassin that assaulted the conference and escaped. He looked suspiciously Poponian. There was no way to tell.

They know that the great King D6 is the last of his kind in the world. He knew that his bloodline was almost wiped out in the ensuing wars that devastated much of the world. There was no point in dealing with the horrors of the past. Now it was the time for action.

"King Doo, status report…"

"We are approaching the front line…The weapon that you ordered from NME needs your personal authorization to be turned on. No one knows how to operate it. I can't seem to render it fully operational."

Suddenly, he heard his cell phone ring. He could recognize that NME logo anywhere. It was Customer Service again.

"Hello again, your highness! Dee-man! Just wanted to check on you! Apparently I forgot to mention that you needed a password to activate the ninety-day warranty of your product."

"I know you're not a tech person, but I'd like to give you the password handy to operate the machine. Just sync up with our online portal and you can activate it from the safety of your own home. You have a pen and paper with you?". The King had both on handy in his pockets.

"Sure..." A sudden shadow materialized from the recesses of the throne room, hiding behind one of the columns. He reached out to shake his hand. But he noticed something odd. He noticed a knife withdrawn. It was dripping with poisoned blood, aimed right for him.

"What!? Poponian spy! Guards! Get em'!" he cried in fear. A masked puff-looking creature behind a black mask assaulted him with a knife. Two high ranking members of the Royal Guard charged to his safety. The knave slashed at the air repeatedly with lightning speed. One Dee tried to jab him with a strike of his spear but it was too late. The lone assassin cut the guards like ribbons. The two Dees were incapacitated almost instantly, writhing on the ground in pain, unable to defend their dear leader. The cowardly king had to run for cover. His life was flashing right before his very eyes.

He couldn't tell if it was a puffball or a Waddle Dee who went rogue against the king. It was neither. The assassin threw down a smoke bomb and retreated into the mist, never to be seen again. There was no way he was able to infiltrate the secret chamber alone. He must have had help from the inside. An inspections team was already on the scene to search for future intruders. The propaganda networks began portraying the attack as an assassination attempt on the great leader. If only the same unfortunate incident were to happen to the Poponian King.

"What was that?! It sounded like some kind of explosion. Are you all right?"

"It's nothing. Just tell me the code."

"Sure. It's T-H-E-K-I-N-G-I-S-D-E-A-D." Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the spelling.

"Did you write it down?"

"Yes. Thank you! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"We do this special protocol after the first 24 hours of every monster in order to ensure total customer security and prevent hacking from any malicious third party."

"Next time, don't give the beasts any activation codes! I want them active immediately."

"Right. I'll be sure to file a complaint with my supervisor. I'll let you know if your suggestion worked."

"You'd better do it."

"No sweat. Talk to you later" The phone call ended. He entered the code on his computer and the monster booted up, ready to destroy its enemies. The eyes glowed.

"Welcome to the XWDT Titanic Battle Tank Version 2.0. Property of NME. Please enter your security code…" a seductive female interface sounded as the king frantically typed away on the keyboard.

"Main unit now online…Activating systems..." The machine turned on and a series of codes running indicated it had already booted up. It was so sophisticated, a marvelous piece of machinery.

"Inputting commands..." The king pressed several buttons on the interface to turn the camera. The scanners conveniently found a few tank groups moving toward its location.

"Targets identified...Initiating attack mode!" The machine rolled toward the targets at top speed. Two platoons of Dee tanks decided to follow the monstrosity in tow.

The Dedenidean forces were in utter disarray. Their grip on the invasion was slipping from them. Now the tide had finally returned in their favor!

One scout was mortified at the sight of the enormous monstrosity as it charged toward him.

"Get out of the way! RETREAT!" the scout shouted. Jack gripped him by the helmet in warning him. He couldn't pull himself together.

"Get a hold of yourself man!" The soldier almost shit his pants in fear of the sight of the enormous mechanical monstrosity that stood at nearly one hundred feet in height. It was ten times the weight of the strongest tank in the Dedenidean arsenal, ten times the height of the largest tree in all the land, and ten times as powerful. It was an arsenal on wheels.

"What the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed the close quarters expert, staring up at the giant shadow now with an elongated bottom half, bearing the appearance of a Waddle Dee's face made of hardened metal armor fashioned from an unknown polymer alloy. The machine donned two powerful treads and a massive main cannon atop its head. Open spaces on its armor gave room for numerous devastating weapons, including autocannons and anti-air missile launchers that were effectively able to destroy anything in its path. It turned to them and ominously stared at them with its eyes glowing red. Several Poponian tank battalions converged upon the beast.

"It's a Waddle Dee tank...its huge!"

"It's a Deeheemoth!"

"They're using it to cover their reinforcements! Fall back!" declared the commander. Alexander was stricken with fear as the monster went to massacre the defending forces.

"Not again!" Pinkobashi shouted.

The Waddle Dee tank slowly crawled up toward the tanks and obliterated the opposition. Cannon fire could not even dent the head's armor. Machine gun turrets and rocket turrets placed alongside the sides, front, and rear of the weapon picked off the remaining forces easily. A fury of explosions shook the ground even as the treads strolled over the bodies and tanks. Planes were downed in an instant from anti-air rockets launched from its side and turned into exploding coffins as they rained ash clouding the eyes of the dying Poponian troopers on the ground. As tanks were assaulting the monster, fearlessly driving up to it and opening fire on the Waddle Dee tank, its stubby metallic armored arms opened to reveal two gigantic machine guns. The two side machine guns rapidly span and unleashing a fury of bullets that sliced through the first tank waves, leaving bullet holes going through several vehicles and causing them to explode instantly. The gigantic blasts were accompanied by horrible screams. Nearly a hundred men were obliterated from the one salvo of heavy machine guns alone. Alongside its massive main cannon two weapon compartments appeared in the form of large missile pods, launching a destructive barrage of dozens of heat-seeking missiles that rained down upon their targets. Several tanks were reduced to smoldering wrecks.

"We need air support!" one private shouted over the coms link.

Alongside the armored skirt of the tank revealed several anti-tank missile launchers and heavy autocannons, giving the appearance that it resembled a land battleship held up by two enormous treads. Its twin-barreled main gun fired a devastating shot that propelled a giant projectile faster than any fighter jet, generating a giant explosion upon impact. Fighters were falling out of the sky and crashing against the ground like flies. The Poponian troops could not do anything to solve the problem, as they were seconds away from being blown away along their fragmented tanks, thrown into dark craters several meters deep. Right above the main gun was a pod that unleashed a barrage of large explosives that disintegrated tanks in seconds. As the tank stopped and head of the Waddle Dee quickly slowly turned 180 degrees to the left, it exposed to the Poponian forces possibly its most devastating attack.

"CHARGING LASER…" The computer of the weapon sounded.

It opened up two small flaps and revealed a circular vent that quickly brightened and glowed violently. The scouts were awed by it, mesmerized by the glowing power of the device. It looked as if they were staring directly into a growing sun as the spark concentrated. After the flash appeared they no longer saw anything again.

"FIRE..."

The cannon unleashed a powerful directed energy beam that annihilated an entire swath of territory in seconds. The force of the blast overwhelmed tanks, soldiers, aircraft, buildings, bases, and nearly everything bound to be destroyed directed right in front of the blast for several miles with a blinding burning streak of a high energy plasma emission. A huge explosion engulfed the battlefield and grew into a giant fireball spreading over several miles. The blast was powerful enough to set fighter planes on ablaze in flight and spiral to their death. Dozens of tanks were incinerated by the blast. The Waddle Dee tank singlehandedly broke apart the advancing forces.

The members of Galaxy Squad were overwhelmed by its great destructive power.

One general was not happy about the unfolding events on the eastern front. He shook at the appearance of the glowing flash.

"Request reinforcements! I want that thing destroyed immediately!"

The Great King was excited by his newest addition to his ground forces.

"How do you like it, my king?" King Doo asked over the communications link.

"It's amazing! With this technology, the Poponian empire will be at my mercy!"

Pinkobashi was shocked at witnessing the wanton brutality committed by the machine as it had annihilated several tank platoons. His memories flashed constantly with the giant monster of his nightmares that he experienced many years ago. He slew the beast once before in the DeDessian capital. Apparently the monster never died.

It only took a few minutes for the dust to settle. The sniper was trying to find a spot to hit the creature as it launched its rockets.

"Get ready to fire!" the commander ordered Ruby while the team covered her. The sniper activated her heat signature ability for the sniper rifle, but nothing was generating anything from the tank that could give its vital signs away.

"I can't get a clear shot! There's no heat signature!"

"Shoot! Armor piercing rounds! Do it!" She fired as the sounds of the rockets kept getting louder. Her heart was racing hoping it would hit. She was almost out of breath as soon as she guessed the spot and fired her last round right at the head to get its attention. The sniper round recoiled off of the armor like it was nothing. She was shocked and enraged at how thick the armor was. It seemed impractical to have frontal armor so thick and allow for movement.

"Jack! Fire your rocket!"

"Take this, you son of a bitch!" He took a few quick steps forward and fired the rocket launcher. The pulse blast sped right through the monster. For a few seconds it looked like it had stopped, but it rebooted again as if it were good as new and slowly lurched toward them.

"No way!"

"Burn it alive!" Alexander called upon Blaze to assist with close-quarters. The flamethrower weapon was especially intended to melt the armor of heavy tanks especially of this high caliber. Blaze decided to burn the chassis of the tank to slow it down. However, the heat blast had no effect.

"Alright! Take this!" Alexander unveiled his mighty Sword Gun, his personal multipurpose Copy Ability weapon that doubled as both a ranged weapon and a sword weapon. Being an expert swordsman, he knew it could distract the beast long enough with his jabs. The weapon was at its maximum firing capacity. He charged toward the enemy headlong and charged his weapon to fire a series of sword beams. The beams kept being reflected off of the armor. The mighty slashes could not even make a dent in its thick armor. He was tiring as he kept just making dents. "IMPOSSIBLE!" There was no choice but to cease fire. He just kept striking at an invisible barrier that appeared after every shot.

Pinkobashi charged in the same manner as his mentor did and readied his shot, feeling the intensity of the bolts surround himself. In seconds he expelled a powerful blast of energy. Pinkobashi screamed with anger. "Here goes!" The bolt charged and exploded right in front of the head of the beast, the target being completely unphased. The awesome power yielded from the direct hit of the explosive charge caused him to flinch a little bit. It didn't do a lot of damage.

"Galaxy Squad! Fall back and regroup! That's an order!" Alexander barked to his subordinates.

"Roger!"

"Get the air force on the line! I bet they can handle this!" Blaze requested.

"Are you kidding?! That thing alone can shoot down our entire air force!"

"Really!?"

"I'm not kidding! We gotta destroy that thing!" They noticed an entire battalion of Dedenidean tanks riding along the sides of the Dedenidean experimental war machine. Now it was even more difficult than before to take it down.

Isha held up the communications scrambling device from her backpack. "Guys. I've hacked into the enemy communications network and now know their coordinates. This isn't good. A massive bomber squadron will be reaching our forward operating bases in ten minutes. This is just a diversion. The hangars will be decimated and our ground forces will be toast. We will be utterly defenseless. We have to destroy that giant enemy tank as soon as possible. In addition, we have to beat the enemy forces and halt the advance."

They watched an entire squadron of grey Dedenidean interceptor planes dart through the skies above them. These steel birds were developed in the likeness of DeDessian Birdons, improved variants that were much faster and more agile than the Burts. As air-superiority fighters, they shot down many Poponian aces over the skies of Green Greens. A few heavy bombers trailed behind them at subsonic speeds. With a payload of over forty laser-guided 2,000 pound bombs, they could rain utter hell upon whatever came in range.

What remained of the outnumbered Poponian strike forces gathered in a final stand to rout the enemy invasion.

"Too late!"

"What about the objective?! You know, the one in the forest! That other weapon?!"

"We have a new one for now!"

"We have to damage that laser shielding somehow!"

King D6 was delighted as the beast had routed the efforts of Galaxy Squad effortlessly. With reinforcements on the way to bolster his previously weakened forces, and his new prized asset at the forefront, he couldn't lose. Galaxy Squad was history! Its first mission was its last!

King Doo was delighted to see that the reinforcements had finally arrived to finish the job. Suddenly, warnings of enemy aircraft and air raids were coming from their forward operating base. Several giant explosions and heavy gunfire from the cannons boomed over the horizon. The flashes from the explosions tearing apart the Dedenidean fighter jets and bombers could be observed from several miles away.

"Sire! What the hell?! Our reserve air fleets are being decimated!" King Doo claimed over the intercom. He immediately saw a replay of the oncoming smoke and giant bomber aircraft falling from the sky with all four of their propellers burning in flames in the distance, the damage causing the whole plane to shatter apart. The fighters broke formation and scattered. A pink blur bolted through the skies at supersonic speeds.

"I thought the Poponian squadrons were destroyed! It's our airspace now! It can't be!"

"This is apparently the work of someone who calls herself the Princess…we suspect that it's a Poponian-allied mercenary pilot..." He watched the real-time footage of three Dedenidean fighters being eviscerated into metallic hunks in a matter of seconds one-by-one. But those weren't merely guided rockets or high-caliber vulcan cannon bullets. They were deadly lasers.

"Really!?"

A warning from the communications link blared. An image displaying the enemy craft came into view.

"Unknown hostile aircraft approaching. Scanning enemy aircraft...Scanning indicates that it's an XF-97 Baroness...Type...Experimental Multirole Interceptor...Top Speed...estimated at 2,000 miles per hour...Payload…2 particle cannons...Infinite ammo...meson bombs...40 rounds… Stealth technology...Threat level 9.0...Engaging enemy..." The plane engaged its VTOL thrusters and hovered right near the giant superweapon before harassing all of the enemy forces. The pilot of the strange aircraft looked like she was taunting the King right in front of the camera. He was outraged at how she could pull off those aerial stunts. She must be an expert!

"What was that?!"

"That's not one of ours!"

The Baroness was ready to launch its payload on the twelve tanks below and prepare for a series of strafing maneuvers. The enemy tanks raised their smoothbore cannons and fired blindly at the sky. The plane launched its countermeasures. The plane zigzagged through the many barrages of cannon fire and trailing rockets. She heard the communications from her loyal servant over the communications network. She couldn't lose her concentration.

"Mistress! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" the rather bold and grand voice on the digital watch blurted. The warrior put on her battle helmet and prepared for the descent. There was no way for anyone to see her face from behind the shade of the elegant cockpit.

"I do. Let me handle this!" the snarky female warrior responded hotly.

"Yes, my lady!" He decided to end the conversation.

"Alright then! Time to clip your wings, you little bitch!" D6 pressed a big red button readying the missile pods and locking onto the plane's location, knowing full well that she would evade. A dozen heat-seeking missiles launched from the superheavy tank trailed right behind the aircraft and were all ready to converge right near the fuselage. The war machine unleashed its cannons. The Princess missed the volley as she turned around for another assault.

"Madame!? Are you alright?!" She had no way to respond. "Never mind." The call quickly ended.

The King was losing his patience. This Princess must be a diversion for Galaxy Squad.

"Blast! She's too fast! The weapons aren't hitting her! Now this one won't miss!"

"Readying all weapons...Lock-on target…" The onboard targeting computer was incredibly accurate. A loud ping sounded when the target locked.

"CHARGING LASER…." It took about twenty seconds for the laser cannon to fully charge. The Princess was shocked by the intensity of the volatile energy discharging from the cannon. It was aimed right at her. It kept turning in her direction if it were following her. The G forces were intense.

"FIRE..."

The plasma blast fired upward and devastated the skies above, instantly evaporating the thick cloud forms and distorting the atmosphere itself with a nightmarish flaming discharge. Everyone on the ground had to get to cover from the impact. The lone fighter plane quickly spiraled towards the maelstrom generated by the laser.

"Blast it!"

"This isn't how you treat a lady!" she sounded rather posh as she insulted the enemy.

"Have at you!" she accelerated her plane toward the target and prepared to fire her laser bolts and blow up all the tanks, but barely hit the gigantic enemy war machine. The pilot could barely control her focus as her grip on the control slipped. She could see the light of the beam traveling through the cockpit. It was too late. The lady pressed an emergency red button on her control panel and the cockpit flashed. The enormous blast cleaved right through the interceptor, causing the plane to evaporate in a giant explosion.

"Direct hit! YES!" The King was delighted to see that little pest was finally squashed for good.

"TARGET DESTROYED..." the interface confirmed through scanning the smoke screen.

The King was satisfied having destroyed another threat to the Royal DeDenidean air force.

"Now then! Get Galaxy Squad! NOW!"

"Searching for new targets…" The scanner surveyed what remained of the devastated landscape. It was unable to realize that Galaxy Squad had just recovered from the blast and was ready to regroup, a mile away, lamenting from their recent loss.

"NO! WHY!?" Pinkobashi flamed in rage at the end of their latest member.

"It happens to the best of us."

"I bet she was totally hot!" Blaze remarked. The females looked at him funny as he imagined what the brave pilot could have looked like under her combat harness."No offense!" "She could still be alive though!"

"Hey look! It's her" They noticed the pilot opening the parachute, carried by the intense winds and softly landing on the devastated battlefield. But it wasn't a parachute. It was a parasol.

"Wait! Don't come close! She may be a hostile!"

"And she's carrying...A fucking umbrella! Like you can take down the entire fucking Dedenidean armada with a fucking umbrella! Please!" Jack scoffed at the thought.

"At least you look elegant in it while doing it!" Isha countered in an instant.

"You know very well I can hear you." The rest of the team was shocked to hear that she had jammed their communications while on the way down. The heavy was seduced by her voice.

"Now listen here…you." Jack quipped.

"Who the hell are you?…state your business...you have to get out of here...we're the professionals."

"Identify yourself! Because if you're with the anti-Dedenidean forces, you totally crushed them!"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they all say..."

"Oh shit! I think it's found us! Quick! Get her out of there!"

"I know how to destroy that thing!"

"I mean. You have a parasol." Blaze noted. The parasol looked rather ordinary.

"Not just any parasol! It's the Arsenal Parasol! It's all in here!" She pressed a button on the handle unveiling all of the gadgets that the thing possessed. The contraptions included a machine gun, rocket launcher, grenade launcher, sword, light plasma cannon, and energy shield generator. They were quite shocked.

"What the heck!?" Pinkobashi was surprised.

"Swinging it like normal can release shells that can only appear for a short range. It even can create a plasma encasement that can absorb projectiles and render you immune to damage for only a few seconds on its full charge. The shield can also be armed with weapons and can cover other members as well. It even has an energy shield that can absorb and reflect shots!"

"How!? I don't think that such a device can reflect a laser of that magnitude! Unless it were to absorb all that energy and store it inside so it can be released."

"Trust me! I asked the designer!"

"I thought that was scientifically impossible! Your designer could be nuts, quite frankly!"

Deenon! The mad scientist! It had to be him!

"What about that strange plane of yours?! Did the designer make it for you too?"

"No. That's the prototype. My father let me take it for a spin. He has like, ten of them."

"That's a whole squadron! How rich is your father exactly?"

"I'm referring to President Haltmann. He's a billionaire and a leading member in the global arms industry. The CEO has controlling interest in his private company Haltmann Heavy Industries. It's a defense contractor that employs over 50,000 employees and has a vast clientele. The Poponian government has granted the man full monopolistic control over the development of most of its newest weapons for reasons of national security. It's pretty well known."

"I know all about that company! Haltmann is no better than NME! He's a death merchant!" Isha spouted back.

"I wouldn't insult her if I were you. She's practically royalty."

"My father was killed by weapons manufactured by his company! I'd rue the day to see him!"

"I love to be present among royalty, after all." Pinkobashi harkened back to his magazines.

"I mean, if my calculations are correct, her inheritance will practically give her ownership over much of the entire planet!"

The commander tried to reassure Isha, for after all, he was in the presence of royalty.

"Don't get too fussed up over her. Sorry about that. Isha, our scientific genius, tends to be demanding with her words."

"Absolutely! Thank you!"

"I'm well aware. I'm rather skilled in debate."

"How in the hell did you learn about that giant enemy tank!?"

"I looked it up online on the NME website. Apparently only triple galactic premium members can buy the latest model. It's been on the market for a few days. You can only buy it through 500,000,000 Blood Moon tears rather than the usual gold. Blood Moon is hard to come by."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. I got pictures. I also hacked into their company files and located it's one weakness! A critical design flaw that undermines the need for such a weapon to exist."

"Right here. According to a copy of the blueprints here it is found underneath the bottom hatch, near the only exhaust port. We have to get inside the shield and disable it somehow."

"I hope you're right!" The commander noticed the giant enemy tank slowly lurching toward their position, it slowly halted and readied all of its weapons.

The King noticed the group from the scanner, getting a good look at the enemy below. "Members of Galaxy Squad! At last you have met your end at the hands of the almighty King D6...personally! Say your prayers, terrorists!"

"Hey DeDeDumbass! Get some!" Pinkobashi shouted at the enemy, his brash words alerting the masked assassin near him. The Princess was still alive!

"Look at the princess...and...Pinkobashi?!"

The King was outraged and slammed on the buttons that launched the missile weapons. "Time to die!"

"Seven targets locked...Missiles ready...FIRE..." Four gigantic heat-seeking missiles launched from the enemy war machine. They raced to get off the hillside as soon as they were hearing the whistling of the rockets screeching toward their targets.

"Main cannon...Fire!" The King shouted as he readied the weapon for another round.

"READYING RAILGUN…RAILGUN CHARGED...FIRE..." The shell discharged.

A massive depleted Blood Moon slug launched from the tank's gigantic main cannon and slammed against the hillside with extreme speed. At ten times a minute the metal slugs charged against the ground and left massive destruction in their wake. The hill was flattened in seconds as the machine charged right through. What remained of the obstacle was glassed into utter oblivion. The rest of Galaxy Squad just kept running from the beast as it was slowly catching up to them. As they tired, the demon beast was no longer there behind the cloud of the evaporated environment.

"Ready all weapons! FIRE!"

"Don't stop! Keep going men! We have to cut it off somehow!" The commander shouted.

"Wait?! It's not following us!" They could see DeDenidean aircraft zooming right over their areas in the direction of the Poponian defenses. Too late! They were headed for the border to join in the tank divisions. Scanners detected three enemy bases in range of the scanners.

"Target acquired..." At last! A forward operating base! Three of them were nicely lined up to be knocked down. With Galaxy Squad distracted, the weapon was already moving.

Most of the recruits was shocked out of their minds as he saw the beast approaching the base through his binoculars. They readied the artillery cannons and launched many barrages.

"It's the Deeheemoth! Men! It's here! By the ancients! Take it down!" The platoon kept firing their bullets but the rounds kept bouncing off the shielding to no avail. The beast readied its railgun at the base and fired its slug, leveling the enormous building in a single shot. There were no survivors.

"FOB 1 is down! We've lost communications! There are no survivors! Repeat! No survivors!"

"Scramble all fighters! I want that thing taken down! Defend all remaining bases!" The general ordered.

"Reports indicate that FOB 2 is under attack, sir! FOB 3 is in range of enemy aircraft!"

"Defend the FOBs at all cost!" The rest of the troopers shouted SIR YES SIR in unison.

"We're almost there! Just a mile to go! Come on!"

They finally reached the base and found that some of the enemy forces were already heading in their direction.

"Get near within its shield range and damage the underside". Isha, being the machinist, was dispatched to accomplish the task because of her technical expertise. There was no camera on the underside to locate anyone that was a friend or foe.

"UNKNOWN TAMPERING...DETECTED...SHIELD GENERATOR HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH…"

"SHIELD IS CRITICAL….sh…..sh…...sh…...sssssssss…..SHIELD IS LOST..."

"What! NO!" The King angrily slammed his hands on the controls. "Put it back on! Damn you!"

"SHIELD GENERATOR COMPROMISED..."

"Shoot it, men! NOW!" The rockets and missiles from the Poponian tanks and infantry pounded against the hull of the tank and blasted off chunks of its sturdy armor. Galaxy Squad fired all of their most powerful attacks from their copy ability weapons at once for maximum impact.

"NO! NO!" the King bawled like a disgruntled child at his precious toy being ruined. "That does it! You buggers are all dead!" He pressed the emergency black button resembling a skull on the panel.

"THE SELF DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED...REPEAT...THE SELF DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED!..."

Pinkobashi's eyes lit up in shock at the sight of the machine lighting itself up with several sparks.

"3 MINUTES TO DETONATION..."

"Damn it! Men! It was an honor serving with you all." The commander of FOB 3 sobbed. He watched the steel beast ready its laser attack.

"CHARGING LASER…"

Much of what remained of the Poponian defense forces fired everything they had at the laser beam generator as it kept glowing. They quickly ran in both directions as fast as they could.

"FIRE..."

The new addition to the team ran out to unveil a special surprise for the rest of her comrades. The masked warrior engaged her shield device on her parasol, generating a massive plasma shield that surged around them. The laser was absorbed and redirected back at the machine with a deadly knockback effect. Much of the damage from the blast ended up shearing off much of its heavy armor, revealing its metallic grey endoskeleton. The beast was not even blinded despite having its head take a direct hit from the laser blast head on. The gigantic beam traveled across the plains for several miles, even goring through part of a nearby mountain, before finally erupting with a titanic flash. They found something glowing inside the hulk. The bright object resembled a rather large shard made of numerous Blood Moon fragments. It was known as a Crimson Core, the power source. This one was artificial, for it was fused together through advanced metal.

"MAIN CANNON 1 DESTROYED...SIDE GUNS 1 AND 2 DESTROYED...HULL INTEGRITY CRITICAL…HULL INTEGRITY CRITICAL..."

"It's almost dead, boys!" The heavy shouted.

"MISSILE PODS 1 THROUGH 4 REMAIN OPERATIONAL…"

"AUTOPILOT ACTIVATED…...TARGETS IDENTIFIED…..LOCK ON TARGET…...FIRE…." The thing raised its four missile pods and readied its armaments. Its rear compartments opened and disgorged four gigantic missiles that launched into the air. It never aimed for the Poponians or what remained of their ground forces. It was their capital! In less than a minute the rockets would fall over densely populated areas and detonate immediately, killing scores and displacing thousands!

"No! We're too late!"

"Guys! We have to get out of here! Now!"

"Evacuate all survivors, general! Your very survival depends on the success of this mission!"

"Right! Attention all troops! Follow me! That's an order!" The rest of the troops fell in line. "Evacuate the premises!"

"RELOADING MISSILE PODS 1 THROUGH 4..."

"Galaxy Squad! Blow up those missile pods immediately!" The commander boasted.

"Yes sir!"

"60 SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION…." They slammed against the hull of the creature with everything they had.

"45 SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION…."

They just kept hammering at it with intense force.

"30...29….28…...27…..26…..25…..24…."

Isha dodged the fire and used her ice gun near the missile pods. The missile pods were frozen shut in a matter of seconds and stopped firing.

"10….9…..8…...7…"

"Hurry up!" the commander ordered.

The rest of the team headed for the plasma shield barrier generated by the parasol gun, while only Pinkobashi went to find the weak spot. After hitting it with a few blasts, the machine was unable to keep itself together. The artificial Crimson Core revealed itself with a powerful glow. The machine was immobilized by a shock blast and withstood several armor-piercing rounds by the team sniper right to the face.

"There it is! Fire!"

Pinkobashi was more than ready to finish the job.

"5...4..."

Pinkobashi fully charged the beam of his Beam Heavy Machine Gun and launched a final devastating blow aimed right for the weak spot.

"3...2...1..."

The impact from the blast tore the titanic war machine asunder. The explosion generated enough force to shatter the strength of the energy shield like a broken mirror. Everything was totaled.

"SELF-DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE HAS BEEN ABORTED..."

"What!?" The King shouted from across the communications line.

"SYSTEM….ERROR…..MAIN...UNIT…COMPROMISED…SYSTEM...SHUT...DOWN…." The weapon's computer delivered a final message to its master before the camera screen turned black and fizzled. The King was utterly distraught at having his precious asset rendered utterly inoperable.

They had suddenly found that the Princess was gone!

"Hey! Where did she go?!" Pinkobashi questioned them.

"That doesn't matter, men! All we have to do is complete our mission."

And so the men ventured toward the dangerous forest ahead of them, ready to face many dangers.

* * *

Castle DeDenidea

DeDesehery, DeDenidea. 1800 hours.

King D6 himself was greatly demoralized by the failure of the invasion. Legions of thousands of his strong-willed troops had failed to penetrate the borders of the enemy. In a bitter fit of rage, he bashed his hands on the control panel. He grabbed the nearby phone and addressed his subordinate.

"Damn it! You have failed me, King Doo! For the last time!" King Doo shook as he saw the King's steely look.

"But it was the only chance you've given me to lead an invasion force!"

"Get me NME on the line! Do it!"

"Right away your highness!" It was already apparent that Customer Service was already on the line waiting for him. Within a few seconds of waiting the giddy representative appeared on the screen once more. The representative was taken aback by the anger of the king.

"What's going on D-man?! You look quite incensed. Is something wrong?"

"That's King D6 to you! Of course I am!"

"What's the problem! Something's wrong with the-"

"I'll tell you what's wrong! Your monster isn't working! 500,000,000 blood tears all for nothing!"

"From what our battle records indicate, it appears your product had malfunctioned while in combat mode when you were trying to override the autopilot function."

"For the love of the ancients! A malfunction?!"

Both of them already knew that they were about to get into a heated argument.

"I'm deactivating my account! What lousy service! I'm not buying from you ever again!"

"Wait! We can figure something out!" The King pressed a button to shut off the monitor and end the call immediately. Customer Service lost one more loyal customer.

King Doo watched in solace as he had to order his men to fall back and reorganize their forces. He so enraged to the point that his aggressive behavior shocked his servant Dee. Green Greens was a total failure. It still didn't matter what Galaxy Squad could do. They had significantly more Deepower at their disposal.

The King had forgotten what had happened with the last volley of missiles launched from his newest weapon and the catastrophe that left an entire city block in ruins. There was no way to intercept the missiles or evacuate the city in time. The war had finally come home to the Poponian capital in the most brutal way possible. Nearly a thousand lives were lost. Most people had a knee-jerk reaction to blame the government for the failure of the attacks. In spite of the efforts of the attacks to convince the general population that the war was hopeless, the legitimacy of the Poponian elite institutions still held sway. The fact that their armed forces were able to hold back the offensive still meant a lot to the people. The prime minister personally visited the wreckage a few days later to deliver a speech to the nation commending the bravery of the troops and the citizens for braving the danger. His approval rating greatly shot up. Saving civilization from the wrath of the wicked despot of Dedenidea made him appeal to the masses. The Anti-Empire League abandoned its efforts to oust the prime minister and subsequently dissolved due to lack of popular support.

Back at Green Greens, Galaxy Squad quickly received word of the success of the operation. Commander Alexander's walkie talkie rang with a message from the operation. The general was on the line waiting for them.

"General, Commander Alexander here! The invasion has been crushed and all enemy forces are currently in retreat!"

"Commander! I'm proud of all of you! Poponia is in your debt!"

"Much obliged!"

"Is everyone present?" He looked around while the others raised their stubby little arms.

"Yes, general. Awaiting your orders."

"Make sure they listen carefully. I have received an urgent message from headquarters issuing a report that the enemy forces have cut off our only route into the forest where the biological weapon is located. We're going to have to go through the neighboring Grass Land instead as part of an infiltration mission. You won't be receiving backup this time."

"Yes, sir."

"Your orders are to secure a Blood Moon deposit located near a series of forward operating base in Grass Land a few dozen miles away from here. An analysis of the ground level determines that you'll be dealing with a series of regular Waddle Dee troopers and Bouncies. Your main objective is to recover the Crimson Core that is powering the area. It is guarded by a dangerous biological weapon, something called a Whispy Woods. That will be your target."

Pinkobashi suddenly had flashbacks of his courageous fight with Whispy Woods in the Forest of No Return a few years ago. The corpses of puffballs and Dees strewn out amongst the leaves were horrors to behold. The frightening face that scowled underneath the corroded bark could not be unseen. Nothing was safe from its wrath.

"What else is left for us to do?"

"Nothing. Just destroy anything in your path!"

Pinkobashi was quite elated by the emphasis that the general put on his words.

"This should be very easy for you."

"Understood!"

"A carrier aircraft is already en route to your position. Pack your bags and move out!"

"Yes sir. Commander Alexander out!" The noise from the device fizzed out.

"Change of plans, Galaxy Squad! We've been cut off from an effective entry point! We have to reorganize our forces and prepare for a swift counterattack!"

"Yes, commander!" The craft was already descending, ready to get them to their next destination that wasn't very far away. It was a few hours of time to kill. Pinkobashi could only search the battlefield, watching the dire sunset lower on what remained of Green Greens.

"Come on, Pinko. We haven't got all day." the heavy reminded Pinkobashi. He silently obeyed the order.

Pinkobashi was the last to hop up on the carrier plane. His thoughts were interrupted by his feelings for Hikariowataru while taking a long nap from a rather exhausting battle to save his new homeland from utter annihilation.

What had happened to the mysterious masked warrior with the umbrella? It was strange.


	5. Chapter 4: Nightmare Forest

CHAPTER 4

Grass Land. A series of front line bases situated a few dozen miles away from Green Greens. Reports of losses by DeDenidean forces nearby have urged maximum effort to regain lost territory

Grass Land, Lprenon, 1500 Hours

Galaxy Squad was moving in tow with the rest of the group through a long line of a deep forest. Commander Alexander was busy receiving orders from his commanding officer. It had only been a few hours since they deployed off their carrier aircraft deep into the enemy territory. Thankfully there were no trip wires or hidden security lasers in the vicinity. The enemy patrols were already on the terms. Pinkobashi kept thinking about the past and the horrors of war during his supposedly daring exploits. Flustered by what had happened, there were a lot of challenges that he had to overcome in facing his inner demons. The loss of everything he held dear was always something that was very important to him. He still found solace in the strength of his new teammates. There was no way to keep the war off his mind. The fissured thunderclouds and crackling thunder in the afternoon kept annoying him. He kept getting flashbacks of his horrific past on a daily basis.

It was important for the members of the team to remember their training from the mission. Everyone knew the personality of their teammates and how they could all work as a unit. Pinkobashi had a good relationship with the rest of his group. One of his loyal friends, Jack the heavy, was always ready for action. He seldom had the opportunity to impress the girls in his squad.

Ruby was rather annoyed by the fact that Jack was watching her with a smirk on his face as she tried to brush back her luscious red mane. He must have been entranced by her arresting looks again. He tried to not be embarrassed or look perverted. Jack kept looking at Isha had also noticed them looking awkwardly and couldn't bear to watch that ass of hers. Ruby strutting about. Ruby still kept her attention on Pinkobashi's confusion. They had seldom had the opportunity to meet with each other previously. That was always caught up by the action of the rest of the squad. Ariana tried to remain neutral.

They had already stealthily taken out a lone Waddle Dee trooper that had encroached on their position. It was always expected that there would be more of them. Waddle Dees always tend to come in waves, able to overwhelm their opposition with sheer numbers alone. With a brave and resolute leader at the helm, they are able to do serious damage.

"Hey, what's the matter? We got a war to fight. I'm surprised that you're capable of handling yourself in these conditions. We have got a lot in store for you."

"It's nothing. It's just that I've been thinking about a lot of things."

"You must be going through a lot of guilt."

"Indeed I am."

"Stay on target, will ya."

The rest of them had gathered upon a tall hillside to scour the landscape for any approaching forces. They softly sauntered forward in anticipation of watching several forward line bases. Intelligence was right after all. Alexander withdrew a pair of high-powered infrared binoculars from his backpack and increased the magnification specs to show how far they were from the enemy position before they had to keep moving.

"Stay quiet. I'm trying to concentrate…"

"Roger that, boss…" The sniper whispered to the rest of the team.

"Alright, now we got em'!"

"How many do you see?"

"From the looks of it, I'd say about a few dozen platoons. The Bouncies are all there in their groups too." Alexander turned off the binoculars and stored it in his backpack.

"What are the Bouncies again?" Pinkobashi questioned one of his teammates. Jack was able to oblige.

"Bouncies are automated light reconnaissance and attack drones that use a single powerful metallic spring to propel themselves across the battlefield. Little pink robots. They can often attack in groups and can be very dangerous. Don't let their cute looks fool you. Getting too close to them can engage their jump that will pummel you into the ground like a powerful jackhammer if you're directly underneath the coil of the spring. The best way to handle them is to stand your ground and keep moving when necessary. Bouncies can track the movement of their prey and land on their prey with precise accuracy. They can't jump very high though."

"Really? I've never fought those little beasties before!"

"It's no problem at all. Should be easy enough." Ruby seemed rather confident with her mannerisms as she loaded her sniper rifle. The commander almost froze in terror at the sight of an oncoming tank platoon fast approaching.

"Get to cover, now!" They all acted on instinct.

There were a few platoons of DeDenidean monster tanks on patrol moving alongside position. They could hear the rumbling of their powerful motors increase steadily, causing their hearts to race to the pace of the buildup as the enemy was drawing near them. The ground shook violently as their ears were assaulted by the rolling of the treads on the ground. The situation was over for the time. However, they had not noticed what came in tow. It was another scout platoon of Waddle Dee troopers wandering along the barren wasteland.

Galaxy Squad tried to create a disturbance from rustling in the bushes, but it couldn't work. Attacking them out in the open would make it difficult for them to face an overwhelming enemy force on their own without any strategy. The puffballs raced in different directions toward the bushes to stay under cover. One Waddle Dee soldier followed the tank group and searched for intruders was found in odd circumstances. He did not expect the close quarters experts to do him in with a deadly slash through the chest with a single blast from her cutter blade shotgun weapon.

"Nice shot!"

"It's nothing, dear!" Ariana responded in kind.

They stripped-searched the combat harness of the body to find a tracking device for Isha to hack into. Given her genius skills, she was able to get into the linkup in a matter of seconds.

"Alright…got it..." Isha asserted to her teammates

"The things were trying to respond…"

"Excellent...the link-up is rather easy to handle…"

"Isha, how come you're so adept at technology?"

"If you must know, I've been a tech-person since I was at a young age"

"Wait one moment….they're on the line ...quiet down…" Pinkobashi followed her instructions.

The communications link of the enemy was still there on hold. It was waiting for a response from their fallen comrade. Isha spoke to the line in a foreign tongue and calmed to the other line assuring that its nothing. They were to report onto the location, right back at the base.

Isha pointed toward the base and found the secret entrance to the location rather easily.

"What was that?"

"DeDessian...I can speak DeDessian quite fluently...I'm a native-born speaker..."

"Really...you were born there…"

"Yes. Puffballs and Dees and all the races were destined to be one happy family in DeDessia...it was destined to be a progressive nation following the Great DeDeDe War...to make amends with its dangerous past with the rest of the international community...now we're treated as a persecuted minority and had to flee for the fate of all of us...it has now descended into utter barbarism..."

"You must be very longful…"

"Indeed...DeDessia is my former home...I lament its fall into destitution and tyranny once again...they took everything from me...like the rest of us...I hope to return someday..." Pinkobashi looked into her solemn eyes before she snapped out of it.

"All right...we have the location…we're only about a few miles away from our target…keep going…"

Suddenly a group of a dozen fanatical Waddle Dee soldiers lept out from cover and readied their assault rifles to attack them.

"It's an ambush! Go!"

Ruby ran for cover and readied her sniper rifle to pick off one of the Dee troopers. The bullet seared right through the brain, causing the body to twitch back from the impact.

Pinkobashi was cut off by two regular Dee troopers that tried to punch him. He fired a single beam whip and incapacitated them rather easily. There was no way for them to get up again.

Blaze made quick work of three of the enemy troopers by burning the bastards alive with his flamethrower, melting their armor and assault weapons easily. Ariana fired the cutter shotgun. The force of the spinning cutters not only knocked the Dee backwards but also cleaved right through the skin of the Dee in seconds, nearly splitting his midsection in two in a gory rush of sheer precision. The fresh blood was rather savory.

Jack ducked from nearly an entire magazine round of assault rifle fire. He growled and quickly launched a spark blast from his Spark Launcher, reducing one of the enemies to a burning crisp in seconds. Isha froze the two Dees right in front of her with her ice gun and rendered them utterly immobile in a matter of seconds. "Nice!"

Alexander urged the group to take them all out as quickly as possible. He glanced at the lone Waddle Doo commander that was leading the party and readied his sword copy weapon for a brief fight. After a few slashes of his weapon the enemy commander knew he had no chance. The blade of his sword was broken in a single powerful swipe. His shock meant that he had no chance. Alexander grinned with excitement and readied another blow effortlessly and the enemy quickly fell. It was all too easy for them. With all of the enemy dispatched, the rest of the members of Galaxy Squad kept moving toward the fortifications. The situation became dire once the platoon of tanks was heading toward them. They were ready to conquer the enemy.

"Those hostiles were quite easy to take out."

"Not to worry. Let's keep moving."

A lone Bouncy appeared. A small round pink machine with a red round ring with a small spring underneath was hopping silently toward their position. Atop it had some kind of red-tinted sensory array that resembled a metallic bow in its appearance. Its inner workings spun erratically as the eyes flashed. The horrific alarms resounding from the bow of the Bouncy before it started to ready its combat mode.

An alarm sounded throughout the long series of bases followed by an air raid siren. Several battalions of Waddle Dee troopers engorged from the outside of the bases. The gunners were ready. The tanks were turning to engage the intruders. The enemy was now on full alert.

"No! Damn it! We were spotted!"

"Too late! We don't have cover!"

"Take it out!"

"Get out of the way!" The machine leapt into the air, right at an unsuspecting Blaze. Blaze quickly rolled out the way and took aim from a different vantage point. The Bouncy was preparing to harass them before a larger enemy force could converge on the team. It readied to fire its single light gun. Pinkobashi shot a single blast of a single beam weapon before the machine malfunctioned and disappeared in a powerful explosion. Several metallic parts launched upward in five different directions. The impact of the blast and the debris felt like nothing. The team could no longer be on the defensive.

"GO!"

They raced toward one of the small bases, surrounded by several block star-engraved structures. Two Dees with heavy machine guns opened fire on the party, spraying everything they could at them as they ran. The bullets were a few feet away from them.

"Destroy them all!" The commander blurted at his subordinates.

"Hoo-rah!" the team responded.

Pinkobashi, rather determined to make a show of himself, fired several blasts of his beam weapon right into the barriers of the steel base to cleave through the fortification rather easily. The bolt of the beam tore at the structure, ripping it apart from its foundations. The building was torn apart in a matter of seconds once the beam hit the power supply. A large explosion in the middle of the base glowed from inside. The soldiers recoiled from the blast. Pinkobashi approached one of them and fired his gun, killing the Dee instantly. The other Waddle Dee gunners ran out from the decimated structure, unable to scream in horror as they died out. Their blackened bodies were barely unrecognizable. The rest of the team had to keep moving. Another Bouncy was preparing to attack the team. The single sword beam from Alexander's gun eliminated it easily. A whole column of Waddle Dees disappeared in a few shots. An inactive search tower was destroyed from its bottom to prevent it from being used. No enemy was manning at the top. Thankfully there were no snipers. A DeDenidean VTOL Burt aircraft had just taken off from the base and performed an attack run right on their position. The enemy jet was too high up to get in accurate firing range from the team, so they had no choice but to ignore it for the time being. A lone Poppy Bros. mercenary came toward them in surprise. He readied his explosive bombs and prepared to kill them both. Pinkobashi quickly sucked in the mercenary in his mouth and spit him out toward an unsuspecting Waddle Dee soldier, causing both to spontaneously combust. They kept moving, massacring more Waddle Dee troopers.

A small flaming Flamer recon drone with the burning copy ability almost caught Pinkobashi off guard. He knew that these drones could only be swallowed if they were not active in attack mode. The flames did not bother his stomach once he swallowed it. His pink skin was enveloped in a bright red hue. He could feel the fire coursing through his veins. His yellow hair was glowing red and flickered. His eyes glowed with a newly lit passion for destruction. He now was Burning Pinkobashi!

"All right!" Pinkobashi exclaimed.

"Good one! Now you're burning!" The commander was excited. "Take em out!"

"Got it!"

"I'll see you in a bit!" Pinkobashi saluted his commanding officer before he went to engage. The warrior put his gun back in his pouch and ran toward the enemy as fast as he could. Thank goodness it was flameproof. His eyes gleamed in a burning intensity as he smiled.

He transformed into a burning fireball for a few seconds, enveloped inside a burning flame that burned to cinders two Waddle Dee troopers that were unfortunate to come in contact with the blast. He stopped and appeared in his normal form. The enemy kept shooting at him. The bullets barely touched him as he turned into a giant flame. He felt nothing except a rush of excitement. In his burning form he was utterly untouchable against enemy attacks.

Two more Waddle Dee soldiers readied their rifles and prepared to fire. They were surprised to notice that the puffball was unarmed and ready to surrender.

"Too easy!" That was the last words that the Dees heard before they vanished into nothingness. Pinkobashi watched the flesh and bones burn as the bodies quickly evaporated once they came through the flaming comet.

The Poppy Bros. mercenary also suffered the same fate as the rest of the Dees, taking the blast head on. This time, the skeleton shattered apart and the head was decapitated from the rest of the body. The clothing was totally burned out of existence. Pinkobashi turned to notice that a single guarding tank had faced him, firing on him with its machine gun. The main gun was in range of his position. He knew that one blast of the depleted slug head on would surely kill him. He ran at his target after it fired its powerful main gun. From the viewpoint of the tank driver it looked like a direct hit. All they could see was an igniting fireball careening right towards them. Pinkobashi could hear several screams from the crew. He blew right through the armor, leaving a gaping hole. He could faintly hear the alarms of the tank as its crewmembers burned inside. He walked forward as it exploded, feeling nothing.

Another large steel structure stood in his way. There were five layers of protective barriers on all sides. He could immediately tell from its size that this was one of the main bases. All of the bases were all connected over several miles. Just one more blast should allow him to get in. "This should be no problem at all!" He looked at the lone heavily fortified barricade. He ran toward the base before he transformed into his burning form. The force of his attack barreled through the base easily. A series of small explosions leveled the barriers. He entered inside the dark main room. The door was locked. Above him at the center of the room was a white bag suspended from a lock. He could see the struggling person inside. Pinkobashi felt a strange burning sensation.

He noticed that the main room was guarded by a large black Efretti, viewing him menacingly.

"Bring it on!" the burning warrior addressed his foe as they engaged one another.

The Efreeti transformed into a great ball of flame and spiralled toward him. Pinkobashi instinctively jumped and fired a blast right at him with his beam copy ability weapon. The beam had no effect whatsoever when the enemy creature was on fire. He knew that he had to rush at the enemy with Burning when it was vulnerable. The window of opportunity was very slim. He could use either weapon for this task.

"Pinkobashi! Come in! Have you found the POW yet?" the voice of the CO from his walkie talkie blared.

"Yes. I've got to free him first. I'm busy right now! Let me take care of business first!"

"We'll be right there! Alexander out!" The final message ended in static. Pinkobashi gave his enemy a determined look before preparing to run headlong, hoping to hit first.

Pinkobashi charged at the enemy with his Burning ability. The monster was caught by surprise. After one hit, the Efreeti was enraged and kept rushing again around the room. Pinkobashi had to remain quick on his feet to evade the attacks. He assaulted the enemy with another attack in the opposite direction.

After two hits, the Efreeti became more erratic in its attack patterns. It jumped into the air and did its fireball attack across the room. Pinkobasbi ducked as it sped across him. He could feel the heat as it sped.

After three hits, the Efreeti jumped up into the air and performed its burning attack on the ground, crashing down to the ground like a meteor as it landed. The impact of the blast was intense. Pinkobashi narrowly dodged the attack. He would have surely perished if he confronted the blast head on.

It took two more hits at the Efreeti before it fell to the ground incapacitated. Pinkobashi knew he had the ability already. He watched the Efreeti spark erratically before it vanished in a bright explosion.

After the Efreeti was defeated, the lock was released causing the bag to fall on the floor, unveiling the struggling POW. It was a rather cute round gerbil about twice his size, boldly speaking to him in a cockney accent.

Pnikobashi immediately received intel from his commanding officer. "It's Pinkobashi. I've got the hostage!"

"Splendid! Get him back to us. We'll meet you at the other side outside the enemy base."

"Roger that. See you then. Pinkobashi out." After ending the call he questioned the newly freed POW.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Jim! I'm the gerbil, mate."

"Pinkobashi, sir. Pleased to meet you." Pinkobashi shook the paw of his newfound animal friend.

"What happened? Last time I was awake I saw the Efreeti and its associates capture me in this bag while my friends fled the scene."

"What were they doing there?"

"We were trying to perform intel on the forest nearby."

"Why did they capture you?"

"That's not important right now. Let's get out of here first."

Judging by the flashes and alarms and the ticking clock, it was clear to the two that the self destruct inside the enemy base was already activated and set to detonate, taking everyone inside. The other way out was blocked out. Hopefully there weren't any other prisoners of war inside.

"You sure that there isn't anyone else?"

"No! Not that I know of! Just the enemy!"

"Alright then."

"Get on to me! Let's get out of here!" Pinkobashi got on the gerbil's large back. The two warriors ran for the exit as they could hear the sound of gunfire and explosions from outside.

"Pinkobashi, where the hell are you!"

"Here he is! He also has our hostage!"

"It's a little furry thing. So cute." the technology expert was cute.

The two warriors jumped from the door and fell flat on their feet without a scratch on them and kept running. They stopped once they had at least a half a mile from the base. The Waddle Dee troopers were fleeing from the base. More of the troops were coming to engage them. They had to keep fighting. The enemy fortress from about a few hundred feet behind them collapsed upon itself and vanished in a gigantic explosion that enveloped everything inside it.

The rest of the members of Galaxy Squad awaited him.

"You got em'! Great job, Pinkobashi! We're proud of you! You're on your way to being promoted!"

"Thanks, boss."

"No problem."

"We're still pinned down here! Just another level more and we're almost at the forest."

"Keep going!" They noticed another battalion of fanatic Waddle Dee troopers and tank platoons approaching them.

"Here they come!"

"We'll handle this!"

Pinkobashi and Jim engaged their newfound powers to fend off the enemy forces against Galaxy Squad. By acquiring Pinkobashi's burning ability, Jim was able to breathe a scorching trail of fire that only traveled a dozen feet like a traditional flamethrower, searing anything in its path. Two enemy soldiers screamed in pain as they burned to death with their comrades powerless to help. Another Poppy Bros. mercenary tried to bomb them into oblivion but the igniting of the bomb by the fire did him in. The Waddle Dees on the ground were unable to call in air support to deal with Galaxy Squad once the base had fallen. Bouncies were easy prey to the flames once they got in range of Jim's attack as he charged forward. Several more enemies suffered the same fate as the rest of the members of Galaxy Squad were picking them off one by one with their copy ability weapons. Galaxy Squad eventually came across the rest of the enemy forces in close proximity to the forest.

"Keep it up!"

"We're at the forest now."

"All we've got is one more type of enemy to deal with." Alexander held up an image of the target of their mission, Whispy Woods.

"Yeah. That one!"

"Shouldn't be too bad at all, mates!" Gim acknowledged to the rest of the team. The large dark forest cast over the terrain of Grass Land. The skies were growing dim.

"Let's go!"

The new Forest of No Return was a familiar sight to behold for Pinkobashi. The same couldn't be said for Galaxy Squad.


	6. Chapter 5: Demon of the Woods

CHAPTER 5

Nightmare Forest. A forest in Lprenon rumored by the locals to be a site of many mysterious disappearances. Settled about a few dozen miles away from enemy-controlled settlements.

Grass Land, Lprenon. 1900 Hours

Once the ruined battlements of the last forward operating bases had finally been leveled to the ground by the members of Galaxy Squad, the forest was left for the taking. Their target was definitely inside there. The forest had grown dark. Once the team had entered the forest, everything seemed quiet and peaceful. They could hear the sounds of chirping insects echo throughout the trees. They could see the tank treads line the ground amid fallen trees and the charred remains of oaks from fires that were put out by the forces of nature long ago. The forces of industry and the forces of nature had clashed again with numerous casualties. There was no sight of the enemy.

"It's quiet, too quiet" the scout inferred.

"Finally, some peace and quiet." the sniper briefly rested on a cut down tree branch while she watched the full moon rise into the night. The sun had already set about an hour ago. Her eyes glowed in awe as she could see the surface littered with large barren craters. A bright comet flashed right through the night sky. This was the only open way that they could see the moon, with the thick cover of the forest being too thick to see what was left. She surveyed the area.

"Pinkobashi, could you discard your ability for us? We don't want to give away our position."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Pinkobashi had decided to discard his Burning ability by expelling the star, he watched it bounce with a soft ping several times across the ground before it exploded into nothingness. Without Pinkobashi's copy ability, Jim could no longer apply his fire-based attacks, and could only rely on his usual tactics with his assault rifle and fragmentation grenades. He returned to his usual pink-skinned self in less than a second before he ventured further into the forest with the rest of his teammates.

"Come on, man! We've got a target to destroy!"

He suddenly remembered the outburst from the words of his former heavy comrade in his mind from a few years ago, "This fucking forest will be my new log cabin in hell!" It seemed quite odd to say something like that. Destroying it all would be a horrible idea. He almost forgot that he had mentioned to his superiors of the use of fire-based weapons to take out the enemy there. At least his beam-based copy ability weapon couldn't do too much damage.

Pinkobashi kept looking at Ariana with wonder as they seemed ready to engage in a personal conversation, but both ignored each other.

However, they eventually came together,

"Hey there, Pinko" Ariana spoke with gratitude.

"Yes, Ariana."

"Just wanted to say that I'm delighted to see you as a part of our team."

Pinkobashi had his opportunity to reflect on the danger and the hell that wrought the world from the new war. He surmised that the DeDenidean forces were close in their objective of world domination and that they were the world's only hope and that their military superiors was counting on them. It seemed like he was running through a time loop, the conflict playing all over again in perpetual replay. Cutting off one head of the hydra meant another head will grow out to replace it. Whoever eliminates the most tyrants wins. As history is written by the victors, one will look back and learn of the casualties of the war in the future. Truth will be one of those casualties. Critical thinking and independent thought will remain intact so long as it serves an ulterior purpose. The worst will get on top in spite of their convictions and fleeting promises. The liberties of the nation's citizens will invariably be curtailed for the sake of preserving national security. As he had narrowly realized and predicted the decay of Amerikirb under military fiat, he still wanted to have his nation restored to its proper role in the world. Great Brikirb, having been taken over by the Poponian elites, some have argued, that the nation was already succumbing to the same fate as its former colony. Those were wrong.

Pinkobashi still kept abreast of the developing news. He had thought about his time when he spent reading the latest newspapers from the previous piece back at the base. DeDenidea had just absorbed another country into its empire, much to the dismay of its opponents. Squorway's military leadership had surrendered to its might. The Poponian empire had also retaken another Minrecan colony from revolutionary nationalist pro-independence forces after putting down another violent uprising. The nation of DeDessia was next and the army of King D6 was approaching its capital. The world had suffered from the hell of war for far too long.

The forest must be doing something to his mind. He was well aware of the stories of the rumors as he had heard from his teammates. They hadn't seen any bodies yet. Isha was especially fearful of the stories of the strange disappearances.

They then came across one of the victims. One of the bodies was split open down the middle. Much of the flesh had decayed. They could see the open mouth agape with much of the teeth removed. They couldn't afford to touch the pale white husk. The emotionless eyes were frozen in horror as if the last thing he saw caused him to lose control of his body. Pinkobashi instantly saw flashbacks of the mutilated targets and the Whispy Woods that ruined them a few years ago. They were just innocent troopers. The damage from the mental scars could never fully heal. Jim the gerbil informed the group that the bodies belonged to his loyal comrades in arms. At least they weren't captured by the enemy forces. They were long gone. Jim hardened in his resolve with a bitter look on his face as he lamented the grave loss.

"Those were my men."

Ariana was particularly disgusted by the sight of the bloody mess, the stench of decaying flesh getting to her. The rest of her teammates were unfazed, having been desensitized by the carnage of the massacre.

"What in the hell were they doing there?!"

"Alright...let me explain…my friends and I were deployed to search for the missing men that had disappeared into this sector...it turns out they were all dead…only the manner of the deaths was totally unusual...we were totally surrounded...they could not have been killed by the DeDenidean soldiers on their own...they're usually not brutally dismembered like this…"

"That's strange...we usually don't see the carcasses of DeDenidean forces dispatched there either…" Ruby noted.

"The forests must have eyes and ears…it must have been coming alive or something" Jack joked while Blaze tried to pull his leg.

"The stories are true then…" Pinkobashi discerned while Gim continued with his story.

"I was captured by the enemy troops in the area while looking for backup…I was caught completely offguard by their security system and thrown into a highly-protected jail cell...it was there that I was freed by Pinkobashi and escaped before the base was about to blow...his abilities are truly remarkable..."

Pinkobashi smiled with glee and tried to get the attention of everyone around him. No one decided to listen to him. Gim winked at him before he turned to the rest of the group.

"It was thanks to your man Pinkobashi that I was able to escape the clutches of the enemy."

"It's no problem at all…" Pinkobashi relished in the glory of the moment.

"No one has ventured out of this forest alive."

"You must have been the only one who survived." Isha determined.

"Did you see the monster?" the heavy questioned him.

"I can't say I have..."

"Darn it…"

Nevertheless, Pinkobashi was following what he had been told, busily listening to the details of the account.

The time for small talk was over. Now it was time to get to action.

Ruby withdrew her fire sniper and began her search for targets with the scanner while the rest of the group came in front of her. She scanned to her left and to her right before turning to the center. There was nothing odd on the heat signature. The trees were starting to shake. A shadowy figure of unknown origin withdrew from one of the bushes.

"What the hell!? Enemy spotted!" Ruby panicked.

One blue-skinned Poponian regular soldier jumped out in a surprise attack. He screamed. The youthful look of the trooper appeared to suggest that he was fresh out of training. At least he tried his best not to be a coward in the face of danger.

Isha's shock from the forced her to shake and scream while struggling to aim her weapon.

The whole team aimed their guns and red dot sights. The soldier immediately dropped his weapon and put up his arms. He was sweating profusely.

"He's a Poponian..."

"It's one of ours…"

"What's your name, soldier?!"

"Private Gerald Kirbonen of Poponian National Army High Andromeda Section T-34-B!" the private responded to the question rather quickly.

"Alright men, put your guns down…" The rest of his battle group obliged in unison at the respect of their commander.

"Just what in the hell are you doing here, private?!" The private's eyes lit up in awe.

"Gim...it's you, mate..." The private reached out to grab the gerbil's left paw and shake it.

"How ya doin' mate…"

"I'm fine…"

"Where do you see any contacts…"

"None! I've been in this big forest for a few hours now! I have just acquired intel on their forward position beyond the forest...they have a few more bases that we have to destroy…

All that we have left to deal with is just the thing in the forest…"

"Whispy!" Jack shouted.

"You're damn right I saw the damn thing!" The private gasped.

"Did you see the Whispy Woods?…"

"Yes! Yes! I only had to look at it for a few seconds before I knew that I had to I narrowly escape with my damn life! We got caught off by a Dee platoon and-"

"Get a hold of yourself...was anyone with you?" The commander gripped his arms to prevent the private from recklessly running away and getting himself killed.

"My friends are back there! They might be still alive! Come quickly! Follow me!"

"Alright men, double time! Move out!" The order was of utmost importance.

"Sir! Yes Sir!" The rest of the members of Galaxy Squad followed him as fast as they could.

The trees were starting to rumble more erratically, swaying in the breeze. It was as if the forest was coming alive right before their eyes. There was no anomaly in sight. It was only after a few minutes of running that they thought they broke away.

"Am I seeing something...or is it just me…" Blaze tried to find something suspicious about the environment but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Where are the others?"

"AAAAAHHHH!" a mighty yelp echoed through the dense forest followed by a spurt. Several panicked birds took to the skies and flew.

"Kevin! I'm coming!" the private panted as he tripped over a fallen branch a few seconds later.

He tripped and fell flat on his face into the leaves. As soon as he pushed his head up he froze in fear for a few seconds. He just witnessed a mutilated corpse and found the dog tag with Kevin's name on it. He shook in horror before he slowly lost his composure once again. Ariana, being the closest to him, was able to reach out and let him off his feet.

"What the hell! No! No! No! This can't be happening!?"

Ariana tried to calm the panicking marine down, to no avail.

"Kevin's dead!"

"Calm down!"

"Now I'm the only one left!" Ariana quickly slapped him across the face.

"You're fine. As long as you're with us…you're safe now…" She shushed him rather seductively. The private was brought into a trance by her cute looks before he had to stay focused and snap out of it.

"I'll show you...we're almost there…"

"Protect him...he might be a useful asset…." The commander advised the rest of the group

"Keep going!" They grabbed the dog tag from the dead corpse and kept moving forward.

They had unexpectedly come across a small squad of fifteen Waddle Dee soldiers armed with deadly assault rifles. They moved for cover as soon as the enemy opened fire on them.

Alexander ran up to one of them and assaulted him with a single mighty slash from his sword tearing right through one of their flesh, dispatching the foe in a few seconds.

"Cover me while I reload." Gim ran for cover behind the nearest tree while the bullets launched. He could hear the deafening flak of the machine gun fire as it tore through the bark.

The private ran toward the enemy and fired right at one of the Dees, wounding him in the head. As soon as one of them went down the whole group opened fire. The young private narrowly got killed by the attack while trying to draw their fire. The state-of-the-art weapons used by the Dees were bound to kill him instantly if he came into contact with a single bullet. One of the Waddle Dee troopers had noticed Gim race for cover and followed right after him. Isha froze one of the Waddle Dees solid with her ice launcher and kicked the body back in the middle of one of the tree trunks, causing it to shatter into several chunks before it vanished. Pinkobashi made quick work of one of the Waddle Dees with one blast of his beam heavy machine gun. Jack fired his spark blast right for the last of the Dees, but the mighty attack missed. He growled in a brief fit of rage and muttered a loud 'damn it' before he readied another shot. Ruby took his kill from him a few metres away with a precise shot in the head.

"They just keep coming!" Isha shouted.

"There's another wave of enemy troops encroaching on our position! Stay alert!"

"Here they come!" The sniper called out to the rest of her group. Now the situation was about to get worse.

More Waddle Dee troopers entered the fray.

After a few minutes, the entire enemy battle group had been swiftly eliminated.

Pinkobashi was able to quickly run up out the commanding Waddle Doo trooper with his beam weapon without much retaliation. The commander fired a long beam whip, forcing the corporal to roll to his right and attack him before he turned around to return fire. The subordinates kept fighting, never fleeing from the battle as if their lone commander was never present with them. Jim used his assault rifle to fire right at one of the Dees and knocked him back with the gun. Then Galaxy Squad had finally approached a giant deep-brown old tree, presumably the largest wood in the entire forest presumably a thousand years old. They had no doubt that it was their target. The target's mouth was covered by a mask underneath where one of the large twigs stick out and a pair of large swirled goggles. This was likely a protective barrier.

"We found the weapon! Galaxy Squad!"

"Take it out!"

A single apple about the size of a puffball had fallen from the tree and rolled onto the ground. Pinkobashi ran for it and shouted "Take this!" before he inhaled the apple.

The taste seemed rather unhealthy in his mouth, trying not to swallow it. It was as if he had consumed poison. He turned around and launched the projectile at the target with great force. The mask had come off. Both articles of clothing vanished in a series of explosions that did nothing to the bark of the tree. Its wood was hardened enough as it felt no pain without a nervous system, but it certainly felt a sensation of some sort. The frightening beast howled mercilessly into the night. The hollow eyes glowed with a passion for destruction. One Waddle Dee soldier nearby froze at the sight of the beast as he was right next to him. He screamed and quickly fired off a series of rounds. He felt the ground rumble and shake as he tried to run back, causing him to fall over. As he struggled to get up and reload his gun for safety, it was already too late. A single spiky root immediately shot up from the ground, fatally impaled him through the chest. The team was aghast at the horrible sight of the sharp roots caked with fresh blood. The tree must have felt nothing from the enemy machine gun fire.

"Alright Galaxy Squad! You know what to do! Engage!" the commander ordered his men.

**BOSS BATTLE!**

The colossal guardian of the forest glared at the group menacingly as they scattered around them. It could only focus on one of them at a time. The beast knew that they did not retreat. Whispy prepared to attack by spitting out noxious air pellets from its mouth. Much of the team already ducked. No one was exposed to the attack. More apples fell from its branches.

The spark blast attack from Jack's Spark Rocket Launcher stunned the creature temporarily. After a few seconds the monster continued attacking them.

"Get away from the apples. Keep shooting."

"No! Suck em up!'" The newest member obliged. The rest would follow his lead.

Pinkobashi sucked up another apple and launched it right underneath the mouth near the roots. He fired a shot at its roots while the star fragmented against the hardened roots.

The private member who narrowly survived getting hit on the head sucked up another apple and followed after Pinkobashi's advice. It did damage to the enormous tree.

Ruby fired a shot right into one of its eyes with her fire sniper. The bark was pierced out of the other end, but the beast felt no pain.

The room started to shake around them. They jumped as soon as a root shot up through the ground. If they were a few seconds off they would have been gravely injured and vulnerable.

Whispy exhaled five more air pellets from its mouth that seemed to home in on the puffballs and blow them away.

One of the giant tendrils of the roots raised up, ready to smite Isha. She panicked and readied her weapon. She aimed the blaster at the root and froze a part of it at the coldest setting. The wood was frozen solid. She jumped out of the way and landed safely as it crashed against the ground, causing the root to disconnect from the rest of the tree and shatter at absolute zero.

Ariana fired a cutter bullet with her weapon, aiming to braze right at Whispy's face, causing the monster to roar in anger after it was hit right near the mouth.

The private lobbed one of his grenades right at the head of the beast as it looked at him, but it instinctively swatted the grenade right out of the way with its roots. It must be self-aware.

"Blaze! Let it rip!" the commander shouted to the explosive expert. Blaze turned up the heat to maximum and unleashed a stream of death. The fire engulfed the beast. A series of pops crackled while series of apples continued to fall from the disintegrating branches.

The group kept firing at the giant tree to no avail. Only high-powered weapons could do enough damage.

Several apples landed on the ground. Only these ones were hissing and ticking. Pinkobashi inhaled and launched one apple right at the face of Whispy Woods until it exploded like a fragmentation grenade right around it. His mind resounded with flashbacks as the bombs exploded all around him. None of his teammates were caught in the crossfire. He knew that the apples were all made to act as a highly explosive weapon.

"Stop sucking up the apples! They're bombs! Don't get yourself killed now!" Considering that the Whispy Woods was a biological weapon, everything about it was weaponized. The rest of the team saw Pinkobashi to have the right idea in mind.

"Swallow this!" Pinkobashi ran up and tossed his last fragmentation grenade down into the mouth of the tree. The final explosion put a swift and bitter end to the reign of the beast. The face melted into nothingness as the explosion blasted off a huge chunk of the bark. Whispy Woods was burned to a crisp.

The lone private was excited to witness how the monster that created so much hell for his team was finally conquered. Jim patted his shoulder and smiled gleefully as he was delighted to hear from the news of his victory.

"Congratulations, mate…you just took down yourself a demon beast!"

"I don't think it was a demon beast… it must have guarded the forest with its life...it was attacking both Dees and puffballs alike..."

"Demon beast or not…you did enough..."

"Come on guys...we're getting out of here…" The forest fire was starting to spread everywhere. The environment was destined to give way.

"Mission complete...Galaxy Squad...move out…" the commander ordered his team.

Once the enemy was destroyed, there was nothing left to do. They were able to escape the forest rather quickly to meet up with the 11th Battalion.

The group got on a nearby military recon jeep from a battle group to zoom away from the fray.

Commander Alexander forwarded the message to the rest of the group by his cell phone.

"General...mission complete…"

"Excellent news…the forest has been cleared of enemies..."

"Good...we have another mission for you…"

"What is it?"

"Your task is to take down another large forest full of enemies..they just call it the Big Forest…this one is full of dangerous traps...more dangerous than before…this time you'll have backup.."

"This is great…"

"The enemy is testing another weapon again…we don't have much to deal with it…"

"Understood...Alexander out…" The message ended.

Jim and the private parted ways with the group. Apparently they were an independent group.

Pinkobashi grabbed his items and headed away with the rest of Galaxy Squad. Only this time the hell would get worse from there.


	7. Chapter 6: Bigger Forest

CHAPTER 6

Big Forest. Gigantic enemy occupied area used as a testing ground for DeDenidean super weapons. The forest cover is used to hide their massive air defense linkage that has been rumored to be impossible to escape. Heavily protected area under attack by Poponian defense forces.

Big Forest; Coastalton 1200 hours

Pinkobashi was seated in the blood tray of the carrier transport as disoriented as the rest of the world around him. He had already been somewhat tired of the extreme violence committed by both sides of the conflict, but by that point he was desensitized to the chaos. The recent victory by their platoon against the DeDenidean forces at Green Greens was rather marginal in the grand scheme of things. Rumors of defeat still loomed over the heads of their countrymen, with corruption rising at the height of the proceedings. The thought of promotion was clear to him. He knew full well that his copy ability training with fire really pulled off especially against the mechanized forces of the enemy war machine. If only he had the capacity to master all of the abilities and become a master warrior. He had the capacity to destroy anything that stood in his way, among one of the chosen few to become the heroes of the Great DeDeDe War, but he was denied that chance. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't determine what it was. His insubordination that he showed up in front of his commanding officer a few years ago, especially with his backtalk, endangered the success of his former team. There was no reason to question the direct order of his superiors.

He could feel the cool autumn breeze fly through the woods a few hundred feet below. He kept his attention especially on the lone close quarters expert, eager to continue his conversation with her up close. Pinkobashi was able to keep his distance from her.

"Hey Ariana."

"Hey, Pinkobashi. How's it going?" She wasn't remiss to the idea of having a conversation.

"Did you ever hear about what happened to Gim?"

"No, can't say I have."

He never got Jim's attention once they departed after the fight with the Whispy Woods. Perhaps he will see his furry friend again, only not captured by the enemy. It was clear that they discerned that the enemy was keeping him hidden from plain sight. Jim's genetic capabilities allowed him to merge with the copy ability of the existing user, a clear abnormality from conventional science, and one thing that could easily be weaponized in the wrong hands. Hopefully the changing winds of fate will move in their favour. He continued to listen.

"I've heard that he went away."

"Doesn't he get captured all the time?"

"I have no reason why they would capture an innocent-looking hamster...I mean... he looks so cute…"

"Barely...he has the will of a warrior...those looks are easily a way of allowing the enemy to keep his guard down so he's vulnerable to attack…it's not always useful to remain on the defensive all the time…Not to mention how he can turn our copy abilities into weapons…"

"Right…."

"He's clearly a mercenary of some sort….besides...do you know what's going on with those mercenary forces...our employers are relying on a heck a lot of us…"

Jack chimed in as his usual self. "The empire's failing before us...once you know that our army is relying on foreign mercenaries only putting the lives of the empire at risk for personal gain...your very civilization is in decay…"

The commander flying the plane was noticing another black aircraft in a different coloring scheme appear in the window, resembling a heavily modified gunner ship transport. "Now if you look to your left you'll see an allied mercenary transport craft coming down for landing..."

"That's one of ours? Sweet! Let me get on that piece of action!" Blaze was excited to see the craft pass by their position and all of millions of money in the state of the art technology bristling alongside it. He had never seen a specialized version of their vehicle in the air before.

Ruby was busily checking the rounds of ammunition for her primary sniper weapon in her seat of the aircraft. The rounds were still fresh and untouched just like the way she liked it.

"Those are elite warriors like us...at least they have right on our side…"

"Hopefully...get in position Galaxy Squad...prepare for drop zone in 1000 meters…" the commander ordered.

The commander was being informed over the intercom of the specifics of their operation.

"Commander Alexander speaking...we are in route, general…:

"Alright, Galaxy Squad. Your country needs you now more than ever. Your task is to assist in the clearing of the forest area...dispatch anything that is in your way...you know...the usual…"

"Roger that. Commander out!"

Isha took a deep breath and exhaled after a few seconds, trying to calm herself from the hell of war that was about to overtake her.

She cleared and wiped her glasses as the world was about to overtake her.

Pinkobashi closed his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts as he was nearing the dropoff point.

After a few minutes of contemplation, he knew that he was ready for action. As soon as the rear door lowered, they were ready to make their descent.

"Alright, men...you're going to have to link up with the ground forces below us...they're taking heavy fire in these positions…so we can take back the command posts…"

"You got it, boss…" Jack asserted in a hardy reply.

A warning from the radar system indicating enemy detection signals. They were well over enemy airspace at this point. Two blips on the radar were getting closer to their position. Pinkobashi looked up as soon as Ariana spotted two enemy aircraft heading right toward them, clearly in the form of the usual Bronto Burt-looking models that they fought earlier.

"Damn it! We've been spotted! Shouldn't we take evasive actions?" The surprised co-pilot recommended to his commanding officer.

"Hell no! We're going in! Take the controls and get to safety! We're getting down ourselves!"

"Commander Alexander...we've been spotted...they're bringing in the fighters to shoot us out of the sky!"

"How many of them are there?"

"It looks like there's two of them on radar...there's no way they were able to harass us like this…"

"They must have some kind of cloaking device that allows them to override our detection…"

"Damn! Get to the turrets immediately! Pinkobashi and Ariana! You know what to do! The rest of you...get ready for deployment! You only have seconds before we're all dead! Get to it!"

The alarms from the enemy forward operating bases indicated an air raid from the approaching forces. Ten gigantic Shotzo turrets rose their firing angle and lobbed off a series of giant rounds in the hope of shooting the planes down. The whole battlefield was roaring with excitement. Poponian KB-2 heavy bombers were dropping down carpet bombing runs.

A few large tanks were moving firing blindly at the sky, opening fire on them with their main guns. The other Poponian forces were already landing, so they must have all been alerted.

Isha watched and heard the fire of one of the shells race beside her with a powerful thundering force, the whistle of the round barreling through her ears and surprising her ego.

"Where the hell is the air to ground support!? Never mind!"

Alexander clearly was able to take command of the situation while the pilot was trying to keep the cargo, the whole special operations team, intact without any sign of damage. Isha was panicking and hyperventilating rather frantically, yet Ruby was able to calm her down with a little 'hush' that she used to harass her seduced enemies before going in for the kill.

"We have to bring down their air-superiority measures...without this advantage...the war will be over in a month...a catastrophic loss! Our mighty birds are no match for their cannons!"

"There's no time to keep worrying about it! Come on!" he urged her to go to the cannons.

Pinkobashi sat down on the tail gunner and took aim at one of the enemy Bronto Burt planes as it zoomed past them and prepared to strike at their craft again. It was very difficult for him to catch up with the moving plane. He was able to see a few Poponian fighter aircraft chase after the enemy Burt was trying to get them off his back, yet it was too late once the plane had slipped from their grasp. It was now or never.

"Open fire! Now!" Pinkobashi gripped the handle and unleashed a fury of bullets. A few shots belched out of the heavy machine gun and was able to hit one of the fuselage near the right wing, causing the plane to crack apart under the pressure of the flammable exhaust. The enemy pilot failed to maintain control and fell to his doom.

"Jack! Cover him while he reloads."

One of the enemy fighters was getting closer toward their position, flying right toward one of the turbines. With a confident walk, he braved the cold winds of the intense atmosphere without a helmet. He aimed his rocket launcher in the direction of one of the Burts.

Pinkobashi aimed opened fire on one of its air-to-air rockets. The force of the giant explosion right in front of his face ripped through the cockpit and could have nearly knocked him out cold. The blast was even more deafening.

More of the Poponian fighters were being downed one by one. The enemy was too quick. It would only take about ten seconds until his weapon could make an impact. He had to be precise with his shot, carefully lining the plane in his crosshairs and judging the trajectory.

"Eat this! Homing Spark!" The spark blast launched from his copy ability weapon careened toward the enemy craft, tearing through the armored plating and sparking all across the wiring. In less than five seconds, the flames blew through the interior, cooking the interior inside, right before it vanished into a fiery rose of smoke and dust. Several chunks of metal flew in all directions. He scoffed at his kill, for it was much too easy.

"Good shot!"

"Thanks mate! I owe you one!" Pinkobashi obliged by firing and shooting down another plane with a volley of his machine gun.

"We're almost there! Get ready, boys! We're about to hit the landing zone!" The DeDenidean jets were closing in on their position, firing at them with barely a few meters from their wings. They shook at the rumbling of the plane after the pilot dodged an incoming missile.

"Here's one for the road!" Jack shouted to the sky as he fired a final homing shot at another trailing Burt that suffered the same fate. He smiled with pride as he watched the exploding comet.

"Man, you must have good aim!"

"Yeah! I'm good alright!"

"Guys...cease fire...we're going...fall and puff up…we don't have much time..." the commander barked his orders demanding that his men jump off the plane.

"Roger that, boss! We'll catch up!"

Isha was the first to jump off the plane along with Ruby. After a brief exchange, both of them smiled at each other and jumped to the ground. They held onto each other in a warm embrace as they spun together through the cold dreary skies. There was no need for a parachute as they puffed up and slowed their descent into the dark forest below a few hundred meters above the landing zone. This giant forest was much larger and more expansive as the last one, but thankfully not as dense. Much of it was cleared from the invading forces. All they needed was to retake the enemy territory. About thirty seconds afterward Blaze ran and jumped off with the thrill of an approaching victory for his side.

"What's next?!" he talked to the commander

"I'll tell you when we land…" He ran for the end of the plane and jumped off the plane.

Pinkobashi was ready to follow his orders and jumped from the land. He watched the red and blue balls puff up by him. It would take about a minute before they touched down.

He watched the heavy fall a few seconds afterward. He watched the carnage quickly unfold across the valley. Poponian forces were already on the move. They could watch the planes from both sides blowing up into pieces from the gigantic cannons below, reduced to ash at the might of heat-seeking missiles from the anti-air platforms and gun emplacements. The carrier aircraft was about to turn around as the fighting was getting too intense to go any further. If they were to continue any further, they would be dead in a few minutes. Pinkobashi kept hearing the shrill blasts of the jets as they raced through the skies alongside trailing rockets.

He had to keep himself at the ready for any potential threat as he descended. He followed the rest of his friends and quickly neared a suitable landing spot to puff up and softly land on.

"We made it…" the commander relieved.

"That was a relief…" Pinkobashi sighed. The rest of the team got back up on their feet and brushed off their legs of all of the dust from the intense atmosphere.

About a few hundred feet behind them, in the cover of the grim atmosphere was another masked figure, silently watching them without their notice. There was no way that the warrior was known for his allegiance to the royal Poponian forces. He was clearly a mercenary. The enemy assassin's binoculars centered on one of the six, aiming for the sniper, before he pulled the trigger, sending a large round right in her direction.

Pinkobashi was able to turn around and notice before pushed he shouted for the rest of the squad to get down. Ruby and Pinkobashi locked eyes for a few seconds before they sprang into action. The round zoomed right over them with such intensity.

They were pinned down. The enemy was on the march. A few battalions of Waddle Dee tanks and Bouncy scout drones were converging on their position. It was only a matter of time. The clock was ticking. They all aimed and opened fire.

"Get down!"

Then everything went black.


	8. Chapter 7: Nruff to Meet You

CHAPTER 7

Big Forest. Gigantic enemy occupied area used as a testing area for DeDenidean super weapons. Poponian forces are currently searching for the experimental enemy ground weapon to prevent its use in the field.

Big Forest; Coastalton, 1400 hours.

Pinkobashi could only see a large black void in front of him, seemingly enveloped by the darkness. He kept stepping forward and briefly looked down only to see gallons of pools of blood of the innocent come forth. He followed the trail of blood to see that it led into a wasteland. He could see ruined buildings and a deafening air raid siren of an abandoned city give out as the raid was seemingly over and the civilians were searching for survivors. Dead bodies of civilians were thrown everywhere, the carcasses unrecognizable from the heavy bomb fire that ruptured the environment. Trying his best not to slip and fall on the spoils, he slowly walked. He witnessed a small group of D-95 heavy bombers fly through the dark skies unopposed. He heard a voice blurt in front of him. It was that strange female Kirby again. She walked toward him, ignoring the several blood stains seeping through her body, feeling nothing after she was allegedly killed by the forces of the DeDessian military that invaded her town, annihilating everything in their path that opposed the iron will of the state. Whatever remained of her past life was erased in an instant. She should have been dead by blood loss a long time ago. She looked into her eyes and saw a gigantic black spherical creature come after them before it vanished into the dark. Eventually she disappeared into the darkness and her cries could not be heard. A dark phantom-looking puffball was walking in front of him. He saw something catch his eye behind him. He had no choice but to fight the strange creature to the death. He saw flashbacks of the angel of death when she turned and failed to look into her direction. It did not look like the workings of the Nightmare of the fairy tales and religious dangers that he was told to watch for in his youth. A single dark-pupiled eye briefly appeared from where the mouth would have been. The black creature immediately unsheathed an ancient sword, bearing a challenge that the brave warrior could not refuse. The mother was crying out for her lost son while the two warriors fought to the death.

Pinkobashi immediately unveiled his beam heavy machine gun from his backpack and immediately opened fire with a full magazine of beam rounds. The dark puffball kept charging and sped around the ricocheting fire at breakneck speeds. He cursed his thoughts to himself as He charged his gun and one powerful shot straight at the enemy as he increased his concentration. With one powerful heaving slash the blast was deflected in his direction. Pinkobashi ducked as he felt the storm charge over him. The masked enemy closed his eye and raised his sword to the sky and the sword started to glow with a black unholy lightning. He fired a powerful sword beam that flew right toward him at supersonic speeds faster than he could react. Pinkobashi lost his focus from the blast and was knocked back. Right after he struggled to get up, the being picked him up and watched him squirm for life. With one slash with the almighty sword of death at the center of the the gun near the ammunition chamber the weapon sparked and exploded, the knockback of the blast nearly killed the user. Pinkobashi was seemingly defenseless until he readied a knife to tackle and gut was swiping only at the air. The enemy could not be seen. He readied his concentration for another strike but his opportunity immediately failed to materialize. This enemy was no mere mortal. It was not of this world. One thrust of the creature jabbed his arm, breaking his muscles and wearing them out. He was being crushed by a black faceless mass that appeared like a cloud. The next three hits were more painful. The cold was penetrating his wounds. His life force was slowly giving out. An alarm was going off in his head. He felt like a dying animal after it was being shot by a lone hunter in the forest. Only this time the hunter of animals would become the hunted. In one more hit he would be history.

He kept hearing a gruff voice in his ears as the mighty dark blade slowly raised over the enemy's head.

"Pinko…Pinko...Pinko!" He closed his eyes.

"What…"

The voice no longer mattered to him as it was drowned out by the sounds of explosions.

Pinkobashi woke up after the enemy had utterly destroyed much of the ground area where he was last knocked out from the enemy fire. He looked at his arm and found that he was completely fine.

All the giant explosions across the battlefield yielded a great knockback that pummeled all of the battle group into submission. Pinkobashi narrowly lost his ground. The chaos of the battle was very disorienting. Many were knocked back into the dirt. He was confronted with his own mortality, how fleeting the notion of life was, before he left his world behind. He quickly blinked his eyes and saw the hell unfold. The machine gun fire from the enemy forces were flying all around the map, blowing holes through the trees and tearing everything to shreds. The firing of heavy 100mm projectiles coming from the three main cannons of the D-95 tanks kept him on edge and duck from the attacks. He saw a blast from one of Jack's Homing Spark attacks bore through one of the D-95 moving tanks and ruptured the engine, causing the gunner, loader, and driver to become encased inside in a star-looking explosion that was easily recognizable by a burning white flash that incinerated the occupants. Waddle Dee soldiers were frozen to death by Isha's ice weapon. Her gun fired ultrahard zero-temperature ice fragments that pierced their hardened armor, impaling straight through their chests. She delighted to watch the weak ones suffer as she showed no mercy to her opponents. Ariana tossed her explosive cutter rounds that tore through the enemy and gutted them in a similar fashion. An explosion from the oncoming enemy grenade forced Pinkobashi to instinctively get back on his feet.

Pinkobashi was startled at the look of the heavy. Jack seemed as battle hardened as ever. His skin was fresh with the thick mud and dirt of the battlefield hardening on his armored physique. His hands were caked with the blood of enemy Waddle Dees.

The heavy asked the young soldier if he was still able to keep going. It was safe to continue.

"You alright, Pinkobashi?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"That explosion got you pretty hard. We thought you were dead for a minute there…"

"The environment will be left to decide our fate…" The warrior forsaged of .

"You're definitely right there…you've been out for five minutes...did you not get enough sleep or something?"

Pinkobashi stopped himself and, failing to comprehend what he was envisioning when he was knocked out, agreed with what Jack said.

It had merely been minutes since the enemy had stopped moving. They were all dead.

"Did you take care of the enemies?"

"Yes...if you look at the wrecks…" Pinkobashi took a good long look at the lifeless husks of the Bouncy drones with torn and blasted mechanical parts off all over the place. The enemy tanks suffered the same fate as the other mechanized infantry.

"Wait a minute. I almost forgot. There's one more. That one is yours…" He saw a heavy D-95 tank with its trademark twin barrels drive toward them.

"Got it…" He unveiled his copy ability weapon and charged at the tank headlong. He fired several blasts rounds that punctured the seemingly heavy armor. After sustaining enough fire the tank collapsed on the ground. The hatch unveiled a lone Waddle Dee soldier coming out, seemingly alive, was attempting to wander back to his platoon without them noticing.

"Wait a minute…"

"Got em'" Ruby swiftly dispatched the enemy by shooting him through the back of the head with a regular sniper round that took about five seconds to fire from the chamber toward the target. The impact of the shot was intense. Pinkobashi almost felt that he was about to get shot as soon as he heard the crack of the rifle.

"All clear, Galaxy Squad…move out…" The commander ordered his cohorts.

"Let's go Pinko...don't let us down…" The heavy beckoned him to come with them and patted his shoulders. Pinkobashi daydreams were getting the best of him even though he had to focus.

"Enemy forces are coming this way. Watch out!" They looked up and saw DeDenidean troopers falling from their umbrella-looking parachutes fall to the ground.

Three of them elected to split off from the groups to cover more ground as they spread out.

Ruby was caught off guard from a large mushroom that was about their size.

"Isha...do those mushroom look big to you…"

"It's completely natural…only the byproduct of millenia of evoluti..." Isha was grabbed by one of them. It revealed a pistol and a gun. That wasn't real.

"Fucking Cappies…" Ruby fired through the stalk mushroom and laughed at the dead. Funny. It doesn't bleed like that. She kicked over the looks of a shocked Cappy frozen as a statue.

"Isha...are you alright..."

"I am…"

"Those were Cappies…"

"I know...I could hear their whispers to themselves…"

They were surrounded by three large red-capped mushrooms close to the trees. Jack fired a shot and launched off the cap. It really was a tan-looking Cappy foreign assassin hiding under the artificial parasite as camouflage. Their disguise had been blown. The enemy moved in to attack them. Each side pointed their guns until one of the Cappy mercenaries fired too early.

"Take em' out, men…" Alexander commanded as soon as he ducked from the fire.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The rest of the group responded.

The Cappy forces were easily overwhelmed by the elite soldiers in seconds. Pinkobashi's beam copy ability weapon dispatched the lot of the mercenaries easily. They had no way to respond. As soon as the last Cappy fell pressed on through the forest. They were unknowingly being followed by enemy forces from behind. A mechanical Crack-Tweet bird was following their movements from underneath its tough ceramic shell. As soon as they shot the large egg the drone flew right toward them in the fashion of a suicide bomber but shot them off mid flight before they crashed and exploded with a small crack. The enemy was easily dispatched when a Waddle Dee scout was cut down with Ariana's combat knife.

Pinkobashi got up on top of the large oak tree stumps and ducked down upon alerting the rest of his team at the approach of another Flamer drone that was flying over their position.

"Flamer approaching overhead…..he's coming around…" Pinkobashi ducked as soon as he was unable to hit the trailing death machine from above. He couldn't hit something that fast. He immediately thought back of the mysterious warrior as it accelerated toward him.

"I got it…."

After the one member avoided the attack he swallowed the Flamer and gained the burning ability. Once again he assumed the form of Burning Pinkobashi.

"Too easy…"

"Thanks…"

"Pay attention to the enemy's movements..."

"Yeah, sure...I got it…."

As they kept moving through the great forest, Pinkobashi couldn't still keep his nightmares of defeat from bothering him. He had no idea what happened. He could still see pools of blood in the forest as an immediate reminder of the horrors of war and what it was capable of.

"Let's get inside that base over there…" Blaze pointed to the military installation and the rest decided to follow through.

"Right…" Ariana agreed. "We could have some intel on what the enemy is up to..."

They approached the base and surprised the one Cappy guard who was on patrol before they resorted to shoot him and burn him alive.

As they hugged the nearby wall and quietly watched their steps without setting off any trip wires that could set off any alarms or engage any traps.

A lone brightly-orange-colored Scarfy was floating around the place at the other side of the wall. Its adorable smile was no odd sight to behold. Isha and Ruby's eyes were focused on immobilized by its cuteness as it slowly floated toward them. It tried its best to look innocent and harmless. Pinkobashi shielded the two to make them look away from its hypnotic gaze.

"Back away...it's a bomb!" Pinkobashi shouted to the rest of the group as he immediately fired off a single shot with his weapon and the Scarfy was enraged, flashing its eyes and showing its teeth. The blast pierced right through the furry hide of the beast and slammed against the wall, leaving a large hole. The creature immediately vanished in a violent explosion upon making touching the shot and a puff of hazy black smoke filled the room. It took a few seconds for the smoke to completely exfiltrate the room through the ventilation of the facility.

"What the hell!...cough….cough…..did you do that for?" Ruby was utterly stupefied. The indication of the smoke confirmed his suspicions.

"How did you know that the fucking Scarfy had a bomb inside it?" The nerd also protested.

"I didn't…once it engaged its mutant form I knew it was…."

"But…"

"No buts...that thing uses its charm as a weapon...it lulls you into a false sense of security and lets your guard down…it thinks you have its trust…and when you least expect it...you're toast"

"How did…."

"I've seen those beasties do it myself…they killed my friends…marines...Hikariowataru would tell me…that those things were bred into weapons of war...as long as I see one..."

"Who's Hikariowataru?…"

"Never mind…" Pinkobashi kept thinking about her but still had to focus on the mission.

"OK then…."

"I remember encountering the little beasties myself on the eastern front in the Great DeDeDe War…everything Pinko says is true…they weren't pretty...just one of them well-placed in an area could kill a whole fighting group...those things are living bombs..."

"Why the hell is that possible..."

"You guys...all right...quit arguing...we have a mission to complete...now...the base should be cleared of any hostiles…Isha...do you have any military intel?..." The commander asked.

"Negative...just that there is one prisoner in here…"

As soon as the commander stopped talking a large white bag suspended from its chains on the ceiling and immediately fell to the ground with a large thud. As soon as it fell they ran for cover. There was always a possibility that it was another trap for them.

Pinkobashi was pushed out of the way by Jack while the rest ran for cover.

"Watch where you're walking lad…."

"Sorry...I didn't see that coming…"

"You would have been a sandwich without me…"

The white bag ruffled and then a few feathers popped out from the hole followed by Two clawed feet. The head soon revealed itself to be a feathery bird rather large for its size.

"What the hell…."

A large male black nighthawk emerged from the bag seemingly unscathed. His pointed feathers on his head resembled that of a hedgehog's quills. His green eyes were desperate for attention. Like Jim the Gerbil this one animal could also speak with an accent and a language that the puffballs could understand.

"Hey there...what are you doing here?..."

"Name's Sash…I'm an ace pilot..."

"Where's your plane…?"

"You're looking right at it…." He was the plane.

"You got captured just like that one furry gerbil…."

"Yes...we get caught every once in a while…"

"Come on...let's get out of this place…" The rest of the team entered the door and found that on the other side they were near a large area thick with trees. An alarm sounded around the premises. Bronto Burt aircraft were taking off the runways and soaring into the sky. Waddle Dee troopers on the ground were alerting the others to take up battle stations. Shotzo turrets were raising their barrels and taking aim at the oncoming jets.

"Get to cover…" The bird advised the commander.

"Roger…let's move…"

He rode atop the back of his feathers and held on tight before taking off.

Pinkobashi hollered as he fired at one of the Bronto Burt jets, shooting it down with a well-placed charged shot of his beam heavy machine gun.

"I wouldn't use your weapon here…I'll use it….just suck up an enemy or something..."

The bird accelerated toward the planes at extreme speeds. His genetic makeup activated the burning weapon held by his newfound pilot. He became a flying meteor crashing down onto the enemy forces.

Pinkobashi became a living burning battering ram, crashing into three grounded Bronto Burt planes on the runway one after the others, the sparks causing them to explode while leaving both Pinkobashi and Sash unharmed. One turret gun emplacement caught them off guard and they rolled for cover as soon as they saw it open fire.

"Nice!"

"How the hell do we hit that cannon without getting shot down!?"

"We have to try something else!" He pointed at a Sir Kibble at a watchtower.

Pinkobashi ran up and swallowed one of the Sir Kibbles on a nearby watchtower that granted him the cutter ability. Now his friend could fire off homing cutter projectiles from his wing feathers that could slice through steel as they spun in mid flight at extreme speeds. Firing one of the projectiles caused the blade to slice through the steel casing and cause it to explode.

As the Waddle Dees descended on their umbrellas they opened fire with their pistols but missed. As soon as they landed they were taken by surprise by Galaxy Squad.

They cheered Pinkobashi and Sash on as they as a team decimated the DeDenidean forces.

As the pair were flying around the bases and engaging more aerial enemies, a squadron of heavy bombers overhead were deploying highly advanced Gordo bombs that could float in mid air at varying altitudes. They learned of this over listening on Galaxy Squad's coms link.

"Gordo Bombs!"

"Shit!"

"Look out for those Gordo Bombs, guys! They're utterly indestructible!"

"We're on it!" They could barely hear with the heavy ack-ack gunfire ripping through the skies.

They sped through several lines of the black aerial mines while some of the enemy collided with them and lost their lives in the process.

"There's too many of them! We need backup!"

"Let's contact the others…"

"There's no time…"

Two Scarfies were ascending from a nearby wrecked airbase and flying right in front of them.

"Oooooohhhhhhh shit! Look out!"

"What the hell?!" Sash could only look at the two floating cat-like creatures before it was too late. Both Scarfies glowed and detonated prematurely, the ensuing explosion spraying a ton of blood and knocking them off course. They were spiraling to their apparent doom.

"Regain control! Now!"

"We're going down!"

Pinkobashi was slipping from Sash's back but grabbed onto his feathers and held on tight.

Just as they were about to hit the ground they swept down and soared back into the skies seemingly unharmed. The enemy Waddle Dee troopers and Poppy Bros. mercenaries were running for cover and finding a turret to man and engage the lone enemy pilot in the air. More Bronto Burt jets were closing in and trying to shoot them down with their air-to-air missiles.

"Enemy has a lock on us! Evade!" They dodged the two incoming missiles and trailed after the pilot, shooting him down with a single strike.

Galaxy Squad entered another one of the bases and massacred the defending forces.

"Reinforcements are on the way….repeat...reinforcements are on the way…They're on our side…."

"Good...we won't be doing all the work…"

"New contacts...enemy Bouncies and tanks at 12-o-clock!"

The bases were in range of the forces

"Fire…." The cutter missiles tore through the enemies and reduced them all to burning metal.

"Good shot!"

"Pinko, Sash….we have a base near that large tree up there….the enemy is deploying more Deedrift Troopers to secure it...they have a commander up there...we want him dead…"

"Understood!"

As they ascended up the treetops, they avoided the Drifter paratroopers and dodged their RPG fire. They were able to clear the way for Galaxy Squad to ascend the area. The team was well-aware of the fact that the sentient Drifters could act as living weapons walking around to scout and attack enemy forces if they were not being held by the troopers.

Spikeys acting as living battlements were showing their thorny needle hides in defense, but they were no match for the cutter attack. Sash was a highly maneuverable pilot and was able to avoid flying into them without much trouble. This challenge must be too easy for him. They slowed down as they blew open the door.

As soon as they entered inside they were confronted by a large brown umbrella-looking creature that resembled a giant Drifter but it possessed a large tongue that constantly stuck out at them. Two large toes jutted out from its foot covered by a spiked black military boot. This menacing one was a Jumpershoot. The Jumpershoot kept spinning and jumping around near the floor. They kept dodging its giant heavy boot that it kicked around the room when it jumped up in the air. They attacked it when it was open. It was large but not agile, exploiting it for its weaknesses. Luckily the creature did not possess any ranged attacks that could knock them out of the air. After several hits with the ranged weapons, the beast went down. After a few seconds, the beast vanished in a giant explosion and the exit was revealed to them.

"Pinkobashi...report…"

"This is Pinkobashi...the enemy commander has been eliminated..."

"Good….get out of there and link up with our forces...we need your support while we can…"

"Got it…."

The two of them descended the base to confront more enemy forces as they were closing in on Galaxy Squad. Without the commander, it was apparent that the forces would retreat. However, that may have been just a diversion.

"You also have to find that Crimson Core…"

"We don't see it…"

"Never mind that…just help us...we're pinned down…."

"Got it…."

More of the Flamers and Sir Kibbles were closing in for the kill, but the two got there before they could attack Galaxy Squad. Ariana launching her boomerang weapon did extreme damage to one of them on a platform, knocking two Sir Kibbles and making him fall to his death. However, the enemy just kept coming as they always did. Jack's homing spark weapon was unable to shoot down the enemy Bronto jets as before. More of the Cappy insurgents even if they were weak were surrounding much more powerful and highly trained warriors.

The two of them swept down and killed all the enemies effortlessly. The Cappy mercenaries were impaled and dismembered by the cutter blades as long as the Waddle Dees. Galaxy Squad was excited about their performance in watching the sharp cutter feathers impale the enemies below them. After the enemies were all destroyed they received another message from high command.

"Commander Alexander...this is General Starman...we've located the enemy bio-weapon….they call it a Nruff….."

"What is it…is it a demon beast?..."

"It's some kind of heavy enemy anti-personnel and anti-tank unit….a wild boar-warthog looking creature….apparently this living weapon can move much faster than a regular DeDessian tank and is just as sturdy….it is found in an area in between the trees with multiple platforms….it can also bring in smaller versions into battle called Nellies….it has the strength to throw multiple highly-explosive bombs and run at high speeds...it's highly unpredictable in its movements..."

"Really…."

"Yes...really….we can't take it down ourselves...it's already slaughtered an entire marine platoon…we can't risk losing our men to this beast..."

"We're with you General..."

"Good...now link up with the battle group Omega-151st Squad to take it down…your objective is to destroy that thing before it can become fully operational..."

"Do you know their location?"

"It's a few miles up north from here….we have its coordinates...it's heading for our forces…"

"Thanks for the tip...Alexander out"

"Look's like we've been assigned to animal control, boys…."

The group moved out deeper into the forest. With most of the enemy taken down, and the rest of the Poponian forces struggling to stop the enemy's advance, they really needed their help.

They heard gunfire and screaming coming from the Poponian forces in the area and they instantly moved to pursue the enemy.

Pinkobashi noticed that his newfound friend had some reservations about his participation.

"A wise one once told me of what you have done to our great earth….there are grave dangers for those who have defiled our lands...your blood has been spilled for our gods to clean it up...our environment is being tampered with for ill gotten gain...there will be punishment…."

"What do you mean…."

"Sometimes I feel that we're being used…"

"My sentiments exactly…"

"We have implanted within us from birth a desire to destroy….we are driven from our true nature….you and I have been brought up in these extreme training programs and undergone these great challenges….to become warriors...against our will….we have enhanced capabilities to dominate at the highest rank of the kingdom...yet at the same time...we disrupt the natural order that lasts among the various organisms living in this world….we show no respect or gratitude..."

"What about that Nruff…."

"That animal that you call a Nruff and its young has been tampered with…these creatures have willingly turned astray from the will of their creator...by killing it I have saved not only those of my side but yours as well…long after that Nruff and its kind are destroyed...we must work to preserve the order…."

"You sound a lot like Meinoyonoken…."

"Who was that?"

"He was this wise warrior swordsman who always gave us lessons…."

"I appreciate the connection….you did a great job today…."

"Thanks, friend…."

"Let's go...we don't have much time…"

"Right…." Pinkobashi kept getting distracted by his thoughts and his longing to be with his former friends again.

The group came through a particularly thick area of the woods marked by two enormous trees with two rickety old wooden bridges with six possible areas of movement. They could not get around. The members of Omega-151st were thankfully still through their coms link.

"This is Commander Polaris….Omega 151st….is Galaxy Squad there….we're taking heavy casualties...get there as soon as you can….over…."

Eventually they were able to meet up with Commander Polaris, a white-skinned puffball warrior with the commander cap and a pair of glasses.

"Glad you're here…Commander Alexander…"

"What's going on here?"

"We need your help...our men are losing it out there...our efforts at hunting it down have been hopeless…"

Suddenly, one of the men belonging to Omega Squad ran up to them and stopped to catch his breath.

"Guys! It's here! It's coming this way!"

"What?! Target sighted! Open fire men!" The team opened their weapons.

Suddenly, a rather large brown boar-warthog hybrid four times their size with rather large tusks gored with the fresh blood of its victims came into view from behind them, snorting, before bellowing a large squeal and getting their attention. One marine tried to find a better firing angle but suffered the same fate as its prey. They were surrounded on all sides by five smaller Nellies just as deadly. The leading Nruff's dark eyes glared at Pinkobashi specifically before preparing to charge.

**BOSS BATTLE!**

"Let's go!" The beast charged at them quickly.

"Use the environment to your advantage, men!" They opened fire on the beast before jumping up on one of the bridges as it rushed toward them.

Jack fired a single spark blast at the angry beast, but the creature instinctively dodged the blast and watched it fly through the tree hole and generate a giant explosion.

"Jump!" The team immediately jumped onto the bridge.

Pinkobashi using his cutter ability was unable to hit the creature with its strong hide.

"Get on..." Sash ordered Pinkobashi to ride. "I'll power up your ability..." Pinkobashi agreed.

They ascended to a higher platform and fired two spreading shots, harming the creature and causing it to stall for a brief second before vanishing into the dark out of another end.

"Wait...we can catch it this way…." one marine by one of the entryways said his last words before the Nruff and the three Nellies in tow piled on him and trampled him to death.

One of the marines was able to launch a rocket from an anti-personnel launcher. The beast was struck by the blast, seemingly unfazed, and jumped down to avoid another marine's vulcan volley.

When the Nruff returned, it carried atop its back a large heavy bomb layer device. Several black cannonball-looking mines were laid across the area on the bridge, falling down on the lowest level. The explosives were immediately in range of Galaxy Squad's position.

"Bombs! Get to cover!" The commander shouted as the sensors of the bombs were triggered.

The bombs exploded with extreme force, one of them blowing an unwitting marine to pieces. The surrounding area was not harmed.

"What are we waiting for! Let's burn that sucker alive!" The flamethrower expert demanded that they escalate the conflict further.

"No, we shouldn't burn the bridge...use small arms fire…we can't risk getting us all killed..."

"Never mind!" He resorted to use a pistol to take out one of the Nellies with a single shot.

Isha was able to freeze both of the oncoming Nellies with her ice copy ability weapon and push them at the Nruff, causing it to get angrier as it vanished from the sight of her team.

Aisha fired one of her cutter munitions right at the giant animal, hurting it again.

Ruby fired an armor piercing round at the head, which did damage to the beast, but it still stood up on its legs with its awesome strength.

Sash fired another round at the beast and it was becoming more unnatural than before.

One of the bombs appeared behind Aisha while the Nruff was going in the other direction. She was ordered to get out of the way. The explosion knocked her forward and right in front of the Nruff. They were all backed into a corner and surrounded. They were all targets. The Nruff jumped down to dodge the cutter attack and was heading right for Galaxy Squad.

One of the Nellies immediately jumped right onto Pinkobashi's friend from behind, sinking its dirty hooves into his skin in an attempt to get them to fall off. There was no way for Sash to knock it off himself, so Pinkobashi repeatedly kicked the squealing creature to knock it off his back.

Sash and Pinkobashi immediately had to swoop down and save their friends. They hit the head of the beast three more times as it charged. Pinkobashi screamed in anger. The giant beast eventually gave out. It suddenly glowed and sparked before it disappeared in a giant explosion. Pinkobashi hoped that they were all okay.

"Hey. Are you guys alright?"

"Yes….we're fine…."

"Target is destroyed…."

"Excellent….the enemy will be in retreat in a few hours….now that their prized weapon is history….the Big Forest is ours for the taking….good job, Galaxy Squad..."

"We couldn't do it without you…" Aisha hugged the lone large bird.

"That's nice…"

"Will you be joining us again?..."

"We'll see, my friends….we'll see…."

"Pinkobashi….friends….thank you so much for your help…."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm headed to Ripple Field...I need to partake in the next mission...I'll keep in touch with you all, don't worry about me…"

"Right….see you there…."

"See you…goodbye…" The bird saluted with the rest of the group before he whisked off into the sunset. He could see the ruined forest and hope that it would one day be restored to its former glory. It would take a long time to realize the hopes of a new tomorrow.

"Don't forget to write!" Ruby's voice was drowned out by the exhaust of descending jets.

Once the bird left they were busily watching a group of Poponian troop carrier planes and fighter craft fly through the skies while they received a message from high command.

Commander Polaris approached them with a brief thanks before he departed with his men.

Alexander's cell phone was buzzing without its ringer.

"Galaxy Squad….I've heard from intelligence that you've killed that enemy bio-weapon…"

"Yes, we have…"

"Excellent...now for your next mission…."

"Sir...when do we get promoted…."

"Only after this mission….your job is to assist our troops in taking back control of Ripple Field...a coastal island home to its deep ocean and dark caverns...it is also the location of an underwater area that is a vital location to bring down a key asset for the enemy navy operating in the area….you will be doing a lot of swimming as the means of reaching your target…with that in mind...your copy ability weapons will be inoperable underwater...you will have to link up with one of our operatives to be able to use the copy-ability gear for the mission…"

"Nice time to go for a swim..."

"Not really...You have to destroy another enemy weapon...it's a large anti-submarine and anti-ship weapon called Sweet Stuff…we have little data on its capabilities…."

"Don't worry...we'll catch and fry that big fish for you..."

"Good... I know you'll make us proud, Galaxy Squad…"

"Commander Alexander out…."

They could feel the cold autumn breeze settle down as night was falling across the lands. The inhabitants were laying to rest as the natural order was on its way to being restored once again. Pinkobashi could feel the environment around him.

Suddenly, the same masked black warrior was watching them from afar. He was not able to hit them with his sniper rifle. He contacted his unseen superior from his black cell phone.

"They took out the Nruff, my master…"

"It is of no concern to you, my apprentice…soon will be your time to engage the team of Galaxy Squad in glorious battle...follow them to Ripple Field….show them the power of the Knights of Spatha…."

"I will...thank you….my master…."

His training was second-to-none. He blended into the ranks of the 151st quite easily with his uniform and caught wind of the fact that Commander Polaris was heading to join up with the main leading forces in Ripple Field before the other generals. He hid behind the bushes unsheathing his weapon with minutes to react while he watched the Commander of 151st move unguarded toward a nearby compound. His opportunity to strike was slim. Torture was not the right method for the occurrence. With a well placed strike, he readied his knife in the air at his target and lept out, knocking him down and stabbing him repeatedly in random areas. There was no resistance from his prey as he was continuously pummeled and jabbed. He locked eyes with the commander struggling to get up and reach for his cell phone to contact the base. He jabbed through his chest and the impaling left a great shock that knocked Polaris out cold. The assassin immediately cleaned his weapon of the blood and fled the scene. The Poponian base was on high alert in anticipation of another enemy attack or a security breach. Commander Polaris was dead not by an enemy soldier. It was an attack by a wild animal.


	9. Chapter 8: Islands of Danger

CHAPTER 8

Ripple Field. Enemy-occupied coastal industrial area used as a critical listening post, key construction depot, refueling area, and shipyard for the largest warships and subs of the DeDenidean navy. Known for its deep undersea caverns and diverse undersea wildlife.

Ripple Field, Float Islands, 1200 hours

Galaxy Squad was zooming through the clouds and making their descent into the enemy area on their highly advanced carrier plane. The island and the surrounding fortress were easily visible through the front windows of their aircraft. The lone pilot was in awe at the sight of the massive industrial facility as it came into view. There was no time to relax when the team members were busy suiting up and arming themselves for their next encounter. Several dreadnoughts could be seen up floating close to the fortress.

The DeDenidean submarines were nowhere to be seen, scouting the waters for potential threats. Large anti-ship Gordo mines could be seen bobbing up and down under the surface of the waves.

The group could see the power of the engines pounding the palm trees when they were swaying in the warm breeze and the sand kicking up in the jets at the thrust of the incoming engines lowering onto the battlefield.

Isha could notice several groups of anemone-looking green Glunks with six purple tentacles and two large black eyes, huddling onto rocks close to the beach, opening and closing their oral disks while they expelled a series of powerful air pellets from their mouths. Those sea creatures looked rather strange, yet Isha was fascinated by their unique biology. She tried to get a closer look but still had to keep moving with the rest of her team.

They could tell that the enemy was on the march, as they were having recently finished the construction of a massive mobile artificial island nearby complete with military barracks and airfields capable of housing thousands of enemy personnel. One of the few active dreadnoughts in the water was ready to shoot them out of the sky with their twin-barreled anti-air autocannons but was unable to open fire as they were too fast to be noticed by them. They were flying at a low altitude to avoid being caught on radar.

"Alright Galaxy Squad...we'll be deploying a few miles away from the enemy to avoid cover…touching down in five minutes…."

"Sir...we're flying right over enemy airspace…we'll be easily detected on radar..." The pilot recommended that they fly low.

"That won't be necessary. Luckily we've deployed ourselves in the nick of time…I've heard they're unveiling a mighty naval force in the direction of our forces a few miles out...we've seen the classified footage of what these dreadnoughts and warships can do...take a look here..." He told his team to come close to him.

Alexander opened his cell phone and revealed a video image that quickly played a video of the recent naval confrontation filmed from multiple angles. The display was almost lifelike. "We were taken by surprise…." He touched the play button on his phone.

The group immediately saw a small carrier battle group made up of five battleships commanded by Commander Samuel aboard the Fatty Whale aircraft carrier approaching Ripple Field and opening fire on DeDenidean positions along the beachhead. Cannon and rocket fire sprawled out over the horizon. The contrails of the oncoming rockets and the ensuing explosions could be seen from miles away. Three enemy warships on patrol in the area were turning their guns toward their positions and opening fire. DeDenidean troop carrier helicopters and tanks along with artillery guns joined in the fray in returning fire. Bronto Burt fighter jets approached the carriers to attempt a battleship raid, opening fire with their rockets and heavy machine guns. The turrets managed to blow up one enemy jet, killing the pilot, yet the attacks were relentless. The team was surprised to watch several troopers die in a gruesome fashion as an explosion from an anti-ship missile blew them out a porthole.

They immediately saw the digital footage of the mighty Blood Moon-powered battleship Blue Giant, the prized flagship of the DeDenidean navy's newly-deployed Rippler Fleet, opening fire with a single salvo of its twelve 120mm cannons and four 50-inch three-barreled main guns decimating the Poponian naval fleet of five vessels in minutes. Several rockets that were launched by the were destroyed by the CIWS on each battleship. Another Poponian battleship that opened fire near DeDenidean positions was decimated by another's highly-accurate computer system. A pair of Acro-class submarines that tried to sink the mighty ship were quickly destroyed by the Blue Giant's numerous depth charges. The single large leading carrier heading the assault was sinking after three enormous holes were bored through its sturdy hull from the warships. Air support was downed by the anti-air missile launchers strewn along the battleship as the Poponian fleet was in retreat. The Blue Giant was briefly scratched by cannonfire but was left largely intact. The Fatty Whale carrier's conning tower was severed in two. Fighter planes could be seen slipping off of the catapults and flight deck as the ship was sinking. The screams of troops in disarray combined with the shaky camera footage made watching the incident very unsettling. The apperance of the Blue Giant struck fear in the hearts of those who opposed it, a literal floating fortress stalking them. Submarine torpedoes detonated near the dreadnoughts with tremendous force, the explosions forcing great pressure from the waves. Blood filled the water as body parts and puffballs were flying into the air. A few of the lifeboats were launched off into the open sea with the wounded, but there were untold casualties. Despite fighting valiantly, the Poponian naval group was unable to breach the enemy-occupied area. All three ships were powerless. They could see the enemy battleships moving away into their former position.

The plan was in disarray as the enemy showed no mercy toward the Poponian navy.

"That was the entire naval fleet from our last attempt at invading the island a few days ago...90% of the forces were utterly annihilated….there were still some survivors...it's just that..."

"That ship is huge!" Jack ejaculated.

"Yes...only something this monstrous could have been forged from inside that location…."

"There's no way an invading army can get a foothold on that island with that battleship in the way..."

"You're right...the battleship was totally unexpected…we don't want to make any easily avoidable sacrifices today…."

"What about the Sweet Stuff…." Aisha asked her compatriots about their target's capabilities.

"That thing….we don't have any intel on where that thing is….we're going to have to find it ourselves..."

"Of course!"

"We have to strike them preemptively...cause as much damage as possible...cripple their factories...take out their leadership...sink their ships...anything we can to stop them from gaining an advantage..."

"We need to provide support for our naval forces that are approaching at full speed...Ripple Field is filled with vital enemy material….it's a coastal factory and a military base all in one…"

Pinkobashi could see the rising smoke coming from the sparse oil fields littering on the island. He could briefly see a few aircraft and helicopters and drones flying around the premises in the distance.

"We have to get in rather stealthily this time…no need to go in guns blazing" He noted.

Jack handed him the map of the enemy base. The set-up was rather complicated.

"The best way to enter into this base is through the underwater caverns…"

"I've heard about those killer currents...I've heard of those infamous stories…they pulled one of my cousins under...we tried to save him...but he seemingly vanished without a trace...he never returned…." Isha shocked them as she tried to conjure up a horror story.

"I'm not going in that way! Can't get through some other way?"

"May I remind you, this is a suicide mission…" Pinkobashi lamented.

"I can't swim…I mean...I can swim...but not to the extent that you can..." Isha was somewhat horrified by the likelihood of drowning.

"The only alternative is death!"

"Never mind. Sorry I asked."

"Relax, Isha..." Ruby huddled close to her with a reassuring smile. "It's going to be fine..."

"There's a mystery around these parts about those disappearances of people vanishing from existence…I have no doubt..."

"We're going to head over to a small island that has a few of those enemy forces lurking around…"

Pinkobashi felt the cool summer breeze filling the blood tray as they were about to touch down on enemy territory in a few minutes.

"Good…"

"Galaxy Squad...move out!" Alexander shouted to his subordinates.

"Sir, yes sir!"

The loud alarm was coming from one of the listening posts as soon as they jumped. They could see several enemy soldiers running toward them. It immediately became clear to them that they were somehow spotted.

"Get to cover, quickly…"

Jack bashed one of the Waddle Dee grunts with his large gun, splattering him against the wall of the base, knocking him out cold. "Oops!" He snickered before he laughed as he easily put the enemy soldiers out of their misery. He fired a charged plasma spark directly at two Waddle Dee soldiers, the impact launching them several feet into the air before they crashed and died from the fall. He was gleeful.

"Cover me!" Ruby ducked by one of the blockades as soon as machine gun fire fell on their position. Jack threw one of his fragmentation grenades at a pair of the Dee troopers. The troopers alerted themselves to the explosive and jumped away a few seconds before the bomb exploded. It was merely a diversion. As soon as they got out of the way and were searching for cover, Ruby opened fire, blowing one of them away with a well-placed shot to the head. She could see the blood bore a hole right above the forehead. Two of the Waddle Dees immediately opened fire with their DM-74 assault fire, the bullets narrowly missing them. Pinkobashi fired a shot of his Beam Heavy Machine gun, blowing them away rather easily. One Waddle Dee was quickly immobilized and frozen by Isha's ice blast before it knocked into another one of them, knocking them out. They could hear the soft bouncing of a large metal spring bouncing. A lone Bouncy drone that was alerting the enemy to the presence of intruders was quickly destroyed by Alexander's sword beam attack, partially cleaved in half near its face with a single strike, the cut providing the spark to generate an explosion that launched one of the enemy Waddle Dees face-first into the sand. The Waddle Dee, with his head in the sand, was unable to get up and was quickly killed.

Blaze burned two of the Waddle Dee troopers alive when he ripped out his flamethrower, delighted to hear their screams of agony as the bastards were howling in pain, sadistically laughing along the way. A gigantic Bronto Burt-looking helicopter hovered overhead, dropping off its payload of twelve highly-trained specialist troopers, before retreating to ferry more troops from the base in the search for more stragglers on the island that could be the opening salvo to another invasion. Galaxy Squad was quickly outnumbered by the enemy forces and had to regroup. Jack opened fire with his homing spark attack at an oncoming Bronto Burt fighter jet, causing the enemy plane to explode mid-flight at low altitude and the burning remains to crash onto the ground. The enemy was not deterred in the slightest to keep fighting back.

As soon as the enemy Waddle Dee troopers were bearing their assault rifles, the pink blur immediately ducked to dodge the incoming fire. The deafening crack of the gunfire and the oncoming bullets whizzed overhead. He guarded himself by a rock for cover before charging at the garrison headlong. One bullet to the head of any caliber would kill him. He heard the Waddle Dees slowly moving toward him and ordering themselves to reload their rounds and open fire again as soon as they saw movement. There was no need to be stealthy. He was already ready to engage the enemy. He focused and memorized their movement patterns before he sprang up.

Pinkobashi opened fire on the enemy troopers with a single volley of his Beam Heavy Machine Gun, the blast knocking them out cold as soon as they made contact. Their bodies spasmed for two seconds before they stopped moving.

The enemy gunfire was too intense for Galaxy Squad to handle as they ducked behind a large rock for cover. They heard the whirring of a turret. A gigantic smoothbore main cannon from one of the tanks launched a giant shell that impacted against the ground. It looked like a direct hit in the distance from the point of the view of the tank crews, but from behind the clearing smoke and ash Ruby was able to take position and ready her sniper rifle with the high-explosive anti-tank ammunition. Ruby fired a well-placed round that disabled the tank and killed all the crew members inside, burning them alive. The round ruptured the ammunition storage area, the impact of the shot igniting the active round. She relished in its total destruction. However, the delight was short lived.

A dozen DeDenidean tanks were seen rolling onto the fields from a nearby landing craft. Bronto Burt aircraft were zooming toward the island at breakneck speeds. They were assisting troop escorts in trying to fortify their forward operating bases along the outer areas of the island.

"The enemy is too powerful…we have to get to a better location."

"Agreed…"

"Fall back!"

They were closely heading to the water where a deep cavern was awaiting them below. The enemy was closing in on their position. The team could hear the rolling of treads from the approaching Waddle Dee tanks. Pinkobashi looked toward the oncoming ground force on the march.

"What are you waiting for?!...jump!" Each of them all jumped in one by one.

"Get inside the cavern...now…."

They put their weapons into their heavy backpacks before entering the water below, for there was no way for them to use their weapons underwater without messing up their accuracy or clogging the internals and thereby rendering them unusable in combat. The team waded in the water to find a deep area to make a descent from and avoid the enemy forces.

"The enemy is coming close...we need to get under the water and get to the other area...cherish as much of that precious air as you can men…."

They initially shivered once they got into the water but then got used to it as they waded through the waters. They were handed their diving masks without any light to guide them. The horrors awaited them below.

Each of the members deeply inhaled before they dove into the cold water. Pinkobashi sucked in as much air as he could before he held his breath. His kind was known for its strong lung capacity, being able to endure intense pressure from the waves and to stay underwater for long periods of time. His special forces training made him an exceptional warrior, yet being able to perform underwater ops maneuvers in a battlefield environment was fairly new to him. Pinkobashi could immediately feel the water rushing underneath his mask as he kicked under the waves, briefly unable to see. He immediately saw Jack swimming and followed close by him while he moved with the rest of his team. Isha and Ruby were gracefully propelling themselves close to each other. He rubbed the front of his mask before he saw a school of fish surrounding him swimming along the seafloor. A skeleton from a dead Poponian soldier could be visible in their way, yet the look of the corpse did not frighten him as its bones drifted against the currents, looking as if it were coming back to life. He could see his comrades push through the current rather quickly. Bubbles were spurting off of the floor. Alexander pointed down to another deeper hole for them to follow through. There was no blood in the water or corpses to attract any sharks or other undersea predators. Everything seemed peaceful for the time being.

As they went down into the hole, Pinkobashi could feel the pressure of the depth pushing against his body. They were heading through a narrow tunnel below. Several Glunks and Blippers were moving toward them. Blippers as fish were known for speeding toward their prey and never relenting in their pursuit, yet they weren't known to be deadly to puffballs. He hoped that they were getting close to the surface as they kept moving. He saw a grey steel barrier in front of him and almost swam right into it to injure his head. He swam in the other direction. He thought to himself about the consequences of his actions before he kept moving.

One of the areas was blocked off from the wreckage of a sunken enemy vessel from a battle long ago, but the steel was hardened and easily corroded. Alexander sucked in some water and blew a stream out of his mouth to break the barrier. The team was well aware of that attack from training. They blew air bubbles at the Blippers, causing the fish to swim away or pop like balloons and float to the surface dead from the intense pressure. The Glunks were clinging to the ocean floor, forcing the members of Galaxy Squad to quickly swim and avoid their quick water attack. They had to keep moving in between each volley and not waste time. The water attack from the Glunks was known to be very dangerous. After nearly a few minutes of swimming, they knew they had reached the surface and quickly breached.

Pinkobashi immediately felt a little disoriented from the water.

Once Galaxy Squad got out of the water, exhaling and spitting out some dirty salt water, they waded toward the land and kept moving, being wary of advancing enemy platoons. They tried to keep moving. The team slowly pulled out their weapons and were ready to engage. They still had to remain stealthy. They did not want to jeopardize the success of their important mission.

"Are you guys alright?" Pinkobashi asked after exhaling some air and tried to regain his composure.

"We're fine...we just have a couple of more sections to go…" Jack advised him.

Isha pointed to a hill. "We have to get onto that nearby hill for a better view of what we're up against."

Pinkobashi could feel his energy drained after the intensity of the underwater confrontation.

Once they traversed the landscape they noticed an incoming enemy formation deploying from above by an unseen carrier aircraft. More Waddle Dee troopers on Drifters were slowly descending near nearby ground to take up positions along the cliffside. They could see Gordo Mines being deployed in the area and a few Bouncy drones along a nearby platform. About a hundred feet below was a deep crevice in between two giant cliff faces. Pinkobashi noticed a few Blippers jumping out of the water. The fish could be incredibly dangerous to face in large groups.

A single cute-looking orange Scarfy was floating above the area, seemingly minding its own business, before it was shot by Pinkobashi's pistol without hesitation. As soon as he fired, the monster exploded, causing the blood and guts to spurt and fall along the rocky cliffslide. The corpse popped like a ballon, having no chance to react.

"We have no choice but to jump…" the heavy reckoned.

"Go." Alexander shouted.

They all walked a few feet back back and prepared to make a running jump on their commander's orders. They landed on a large steel platform. Three Bouncy drones were warning of their position in the area, blaring the alarm to enemy forces for them to mobilize. Ruby quickly took position and fired off an armor-piercing sniper round with her Fire Sniper, causing the head to crack and blow up, severing it from the rest of its body. The other two recognized the attacker and opened fire with their cannons. Alexander immediately reacted when he dodged the oncoming attack that was within a feet away as soon as they fired, feeling the intensity of one of the oncoming rounds zip right past him and the concussive force of the winds generated by the blast. The machines were predictable in their firing patterns and behavior.

"Take em' out!" The commander ordered his team as he opened fire.

Jack fired a homing spark at one of the two machines, but the attack missed when the machine reacted to the alert and jumped high over the spark blast. The spark discharge eventually dissipated and surged along the cliff face before finally giving out.

One of the Deeparatroopers were descending, opening fire with his pistol sidearm, Alexander took aim at the green Drifter and fired with his sword beam attack, shredding the enemy instrument and rendering it inoperable, causing the soldier to scream in fear while falling to his apparent death below. Not willing to waste a sniper round, Ruby fired a shot with her pistol, easily dispatching the enemy trooper with a headshot.

Isha froze one of the blocks solid, causing the steel to shatter from a shot. Isha tried to get its attention. The Bouncy jumped off the platform and fell to its death, the water coming in contact with its internals, the giant spring below its head acting as a conductor for the electricity frying the complex internals under its shell and causing it to spark before exploding in a few seconds. The loud boom of the explosion was extremely intense. After responding to Blaze's desire to cover him, Jack dodged the round of the Bouncy and fired off a homing spark right at the enemy drone, causing it to jitter and spasm before it vanished in a violent explosion. He looked away a second before the flash and the smoke clouded his vision. It was difficult to see that he nearly stepped off the platform and almost ended up becoming another casualty.

"Jump!"

They all jumped in and dove in on command. As soon as they made contact, the hungry Blippers were flopping out of the water. Jack punched the fish and knocked it back into the water.

Alexander fired a pistol shot at another fish, the well-placed bullet being extremely accurate and nearly severing it in two. Blood spilled into the water. He fired off a second round before quickly reloading. After the three fishes were killed, they quickly put their masks back on and decided to dive in the water again, hoping to not have to face a whole school of them as they kept moving.

"Alright. Let's keep moving...this should take us to another area where that one special underwater expert is…"

"We're going in!" The heavy muttered to himself as he readied his gear.

Pinkobashi and the rest of his team were already getting used to the water temperature. They all deeply inhaled and dove into the abyss. They swam toward the bottom of the pool to find a hidden entrance to a tunnel, they entered an abandoned door and found themselves in a deep underwater chasm. DeDenidean scuba troopers were warned of being present in the area in patrols, but Galaxy Squad still remained on the lookout for the enemy forces. The area looked somewhat grim and barren. There was no way to discern a clear exit.

At this time, Pinkobashi could see a massive Poponian shipwreck with a rather large cut gutting through its exterior. There was no doubt the ship was from the previous failed attack. The markings on the ship were a clear indication. There were several schools of Blippers swimming alongside the vessel.

He could feel the water from active large undersea pipes pushing him in different directions with intense force. There was no way to shut it off. Steel spike traps with three spikes were littered all around the area at the ceiling and floor of the area with their sharpness being potentially fatal if he came in contact with the hazards. He swiftly moved in the opposite direction of the current, pushing his arms up and down frantically while kicking to avoid getting impaled by the spikes. He could feel that he was slowly running out of air. One Blipper was clumsily swimming toward him, intimidating him in a brief chase. He quickly swam down to enter a ruined door in front of him while the rest of the group followed after him. He tried to punch the fat fish with his fist, but the fish ignored him and swam somewhere else to an area he couldn't see. Pinkobashi felt lonely. He was willing to explore the underwater area further and see more of the environment. His air supply was slowly diminishing, yet he tried to ignore it. He saw the group approaching a chasm and a giant entrance.

They all exhaled and dropped down another large steel platform. The landing was unpredictable. Pinkobashi was gasping for breath, happy to be out of the water.

Eventually the group encountered a dark black room. As soon as they could see, they could see the surging sparks zip around seemed like an electrical anomaly or an electrical surge.

"What…" Jack was shocked to hear the crackle. He was startled.

"The electrical readings are off the charts…it's getting stronger...I wonder where the source is…"

"You just answered your own question…"

They were dealing with a giant orange jellyfish identified as Master Green. The tentacles and numerous appendages writhed and thrashed around in a violent manner. Numerous sparks of ultra-high voltage surged all around its epidermis. The single pair of black beady eyes stared directly into that of its opponents. Its bell-shaped umbrella opened pulsated as if it were swimming in water. Strangely enough, it was able to move out of water completely fine without drying up even if the jellyfish was normally composed of mostly water. The creature slowly crawled toward them, using its agile arms to propel itself toward its prey.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?!"

"Just take it out!" The beast was alerted to their presence as it jumped up in the air and landed on their location with extreme force. The team ran out of the way and prepared for battle with the cnidarian menace.

"Take this you slimy tentacled freak!" Isha fired a round of her ice shards at its head, the attack barely piercing its epidermis.

The Master Green raised one of its tentacles and the tip glowed with a powerful flash of light. Electricity was surging through the tentacle in the way of an electrical cord. There was no way for them to be test subjects to the deadly beast. The arm itself became a conductor for an extremely dangerous electric plasma discharge that could explode in mid-air.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Alexander growled to his subordinates.

The creature fired several lightning spark rounds that appeared as giant lightning bolts. As they ran along the wall, dodging the blasts within seconds of each burst, they were mindful of the attack. Ruby readied and fired a sniper round right at the monster's head, the impact unfazing it. It looked dislodged once the bullet came through the other end.

The Master Green monster retreated into the center of the room and its entire body glowed. Several sparks were launching off of the room and zooming around the walls.

Jack opened fire with his spark rocket launcher and delivered a hit that did some noticeable damage, but the spark blasts coming from the monster itself seemed weak compared to the power of his copy-ability weapon. The weapon was shrugged off.

Alexander fired his sword beam attack right at the creature, but the tentacles could not be cut off. This was a very sturdy biological weapon.

The creature jumped up and charged a gigantic spark blast. Pinkobashi ran up to it and quickly inhaled it. He immediately launched it out of his mouth and redirected it against the beast, slamming it right at its bell. The jelly-like substance was able to sustain damage, but knocked its jelly around, for the creature lacked any internal organs that could harm it.

Isha readied her ice gun to fire a slew of two ice projectiles that punctured its hardened skin. Each hit made the enemy more aggressive and unpredictable. The Master Green instinctively recognized that it was being bothered and launched a spark projectile attack at lightning speed. Isha, not being able to realize what was going on, was launched back. She screamed.

The beast raised its arms and charged its electricity attack. The spark ball narrowly missed the target, but the plasma discharge exploded with incredible energy.

Pinkobashi ran up and tried to knock him down with his gun, but he was struck by one of its tentacles with a whiplike force, the spark nearly knocking him down. He felt unbelievable pain from the voltage. The energy from the attack knocked him to the ground. Upon getting up, he found that his hair was standing up and his body was blackened. The pain of the scar made him reluctant to continue, but it merely hardened his resolve. He looked the creature in the eye and frowned in anger before spouting a powerful war cry. The Master Green sprang toward him, using his tentacles like a spring to hop directly in front oh him, bearing a challenge against the pink blur. It prepared to corner him and deliver a final blow.

Pinkobashi immediately charged his beam heavy machine gun beam to its maximum power.

"DIE!" He shouted and assaulted his prey before he opened fire.

The round careened toward the creature, sending it flying against the wall. After several powerful hits connected with a single beam discharged, the creature finally fell to the ground and knocked against the wall, battered and bruised. The corpse was sparking and flashing, seemingly trying to revive itself and continue fighting, before its eyes struggled to remain open. It spasmed and throttled, conserving its remaining energy to turn itself into a living truck-sized bomb. After a few seconds, the creature perished and disappeared in a giant explosion in an attempt to take its prey with it. They shielded their eyes at the sight of the flash. The impact from the blast nearly made the team trip and fall over. The team leader signaled the all-clear sign and allowed them to search the premises for any other signs of a potential threat.

"Yeah! We showed him!" Jack shouted with an uproarious tone.

"Pinkobashi! Are you alright?" The sniper asked him and tried to tend to his arm.

"Nothing! Just a scratch!". He tried to shrug it off. He was able

"You look pretty banged up! Do you need a medic at all!?"

"No, sir!"

Another large bag immediately fell in their direction with a loud thud. Pinkobashi quickly went for the bag and pulled it open. A large blue Swordfish about the size of Pinkobashi greeted them.

"Hi there…."

"How are you still alive?!"

"Name's Splash. I'm a swordfish. I'm an expert swimmer..."

"A living sub…can you show me how to improve my underwater combat techniques?"

"Sure. Get in my mouth...I won't eat you...now with my ability you can actually inhale underwater…" Pinkobashi was intially somewhat disgusted but went along with it.

"Really? How does that work?"

"No time to explain…" Pinkobashi entered inside his mouth and could fit inside him.

"I would follow closely….these parts are full of enemies…"

"Let's go…" They all exited through the door.

As Galaxy Squad descended down the area, the group was surprised at how fast the two of them could swim. They were able to descend further down the enemy-occupied cave. After a few minutes of swimming, noticing an air pocket that led to another area underwater cave, Splash leapt out of the water where they caught the attention of a lone Sir Kibble. Splash clashed with his sword-like flat bill, jabbing at the Sir Kibble who replied with his cutter blade. He knocked out the enemy and smashed him against a rock face, knocking him out. Pinkobashi was able to inhale and swallow the Sir Kibble. With the power of the enemy he could transform into Cutter Pinkobashi. He could wield and throw a sharp cutter blade with expert precision. Once he was inside Splash he could have the ability to fire powerful blasts that can take the form of exploding cutter blades.

"Let's keep moving...we have another area to get to…we're almost out of this cave..."

They dropped back into the water and jumped back out onto the water. They were immediately dealt with an orange Sir Slippy, a large two-footed frog with a large mouth. Splash fired a cutter blast from his mouth to zap the frog and spew its guts all over the ground. The frog did not seem like a threat to them but it did not look entirely innocent either.

Splash despite being out of water was able to leap a great distance without feeling death.

"How are you able to stay out of water like that giant overgrown jellyfish?"

"I was experimented on by the scientists of Poponia to give me the ability to fight on water and on land...I'm still able to stay my usual self…."

"Look out!" Pinkobashi demanded him to hop out of the way. A whole lot of pineapple grenades were falling from the trees and detonating simultaneously. Pinkobashi and Splash were somewhat disoriented from the blasts yet was able to regain control of the situation. Those traps were no match for the cutter blast technique. Other Waddle Dee soldiers were alerted to the intruder and easily fried by the blasts. One Spiny was struck when it showed its back to them, causing the skin to disintegrate. Even mechanized infantry was torn to shreds. The blade could easily slice through the hardened steel plating and puncture the engine, causing the structure to explode and crush anything inside it. They charged another blast and launched it at the enemy when it showed its back to them, blowing everything away. Pinkobashi was in awe of the strength and willpower of his newest friend.

"We still have about ten miles before we reach the main facility…where are your friends?"

"Don't worry...they always catch up…"

"Right...let's go…."

Eventually they came across Galaxy Squad again. Pinkobashi ordered his aquatic friend to spit him out. Covered in water and fish slobber, he was disgusted but eventually ignored it.

"Hey guys...did you find any trouble along the way?"

"Negative...but now….there are going to be a lot more highly secure areas we will have to breach...and our forces are going to come here fairly soon…"

As they walked forward, they smelled the air of an acrid smoke coming from a large factory and military base that happened to adjoin another complex underwater cave.

"According to my map, the enemy superweapon is in that area…."

"We still need to have the element of surprise on our side….remember we will be facing huge enemy resistance…"

"Good…I like those odds….let's keep moving…."

Isha noticed something odd in the environment. She felt like she was being scrutinized by some shadowy figure, some kind of odd phantasm, but there was no anomaly.

Behind a large rock, a shadow of a masked puffball appeared lunging at them out of nowhere, slashing the air and launched a giant sword beam attack that nearly knocked all them out. The group jumped out of the way and braced for a giant explosion that sounded like a large grenade detonating near their position.

"What the hell was that?!" Jack shouted before he was taken by surprise. The masked assassin struck him with her sword right at his face, the impact burying him into the dirt.

"Jack!" Ruby shouted as he raced to tend to the wounded warrior.

"Pitiful…" the assailant scoffed at her target muttering under her breath but couldn't be stopped.

"Open fire men!" They all fired their copy ability weapons at once, but the enemy was able to dodge the incoming fire or deflect it with the sword. The black weapon seemed to be developed in the fashion of Alexander's Sword Gun, but far more powerful and durable.

Pinkobashi watched as all of Galaxy Squad were taken down one by one. Jack was the first to fall, following Ruby, then Aisha, then Isha, Blaze, and finally Alexander, before he was the last to go. He could feel the sword beams fly right past him as he ran. Pinkobashi tried to fire one charged shot, but the sword was able to deflect the extreme force of the attack. He felt the pain of the shock of his loss as quickly as he was shocked by the Master Green. Despite fighting valiantly, they were easily overwhelmed by their new opponent. He hoped it was a dream.

After being bested in combat and suffering blunt trauma to his head from a powerful slice of the large sword, he was incapacitated and could no longer move. His energy was sapped from him, unable to fight. He could only barely hear one sentence coming from an imposing voice before losing consciousness, but it wasn't from the militant warrior.

"Excellent work, my apprentice."


	10. Chapter 9: Freedom on the Seas

CHAPTER 9

Ripple Field. Enemy-occupied coastal industrial area. Currently preparing for another assault by Poponian naval forces.

Ripple Field, Float Islands, 1400 hours

Pinkobashi felt two pairs of muscular arms grabbing him as he was marching through the hallway. He felt the arms of Waddle Dee troopers grabbing them as they shuffled through a corridor. The soldiers pointed and heartily laughed at them as they shuffled into the chambers. He struggled to order them to unhand him. Unable to shake them, he tried to struggle, but eventually grew tired and weary. He must have been restrained somehow. Soon they were all thrown into a cage-like jail cell with a red laser shield projector that reinforced the bars. Upon hitting the ground, the pink warrior decided to rest and remain occupied by his nightmares.

Pinkobashi was being surrounded by darkness. However, the warrior was floating. He felt as if he were drowning in deep water. There was no way to see any light in the abyss, with no other puffballs to help him. He could feel his air supply quickly diminishing, already panicking when he felt the bends. He could see dead bodies of Poponian troopers floating up and down on the water, the corpses blanched after hours of being washed at sea. The horrific look of the pale faces and hollow black eyes were horrifying sights to behold. He quickly moved to the surface as fast as he could. He was starting to black out but was able to reach the surface. He discovered that he was already near a large tropical island. Pinkobashi walked forward and immediately froze when he could hear a female voice that seemed rather familiar calling out his name. It seemed like that of Hikariowataru from the accent but it could be anybody.

He awoke in his slumber upon him sensing a foul odor in the air permeating the base. He was desensitized by his surroundings. Those fumes must have filtered through the churning industrial machinery below them. He could hear the dripping water falling from an empty spicket. The floor was rather dirty and reeked of animal droppings.

"Pinkobashi." He heard Ruby's words echo off the walls as he struggled to get up on his feet.

"Pinkobashi. You're up. You've napped quite a while there lad." Jack uttered to him.

"What the hell! Where the hell are we?! Let me out!"

"Calm down Pinkobashi! We've been captured by the enemy!"

"You bastards!" He screamed and frantically shook at the bars while no one answered. He tried to calm his temper.

"I recommend that we stay low for a while. Maybe this time we won't have to deal with enhanced interrogation today."

"It's hopeless. We can't be rescued...They took our copy ability weapons...we're utterly useless without them" Blaze was busily surmising over his last cigarette, flicking it on the ground for someone to step on.

"What about Splash? Where is he!" Pinkobashi shouted.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about him!"

"We can be saved after all!"

"I'm afraid that we will have to wait this one out."

"How long have we been inside here!?"

"About 30 minutes." Isha responded while busily scanning the interior of the base, pondering a plan to escape. There was no way for them to shatter the steel restraints. She was interrupted when she heard a noise. Her heart throbbed at the soft sound of the boots.

Suddenly, they heard the giant steel door creak open and bright light fill the room, through which a menacing black shadow appeared flanked by two Waddle Dee commanders that were recognizable by their red pauldrons. The troopers quickly slipped through. They reached the center where they found the captured puffballs. The one shadow looked like a Waddle Dee with a crazy black beard and funky black spiral-shaped glasses, seeming that he was somewhat aged. He possessed a long scepter-like cane adjoined by a red glowing jewel. The scientist rubbed his whiskers cackled as he addressed them, throwing his hands about as if he were unhinged and dramatic. His lab coat was disheveled from hours of work at the base. His white gloves were stained with blood of his most recent victim, not bothering to wash afterward. His skin was bleached white from hours in the lab. The scientist was not well.

"Ha Ha Ha! I am Deerex! One of the smartest most brilliant tactical minds of all of DeDenidea. Chief leading member of the Blood Moon project. Welcome to my fortress!" The mad scientist gloated in front of them as he strode close to them.

"You six are rather interesting specimens…." He straddled around the cell wall, inspecting them, prodding them and poking them in a condescending manner as if they were animals. He did not care for germs. The group was offended by their treatment.

"It doesn't seem that bad at all!" Pinkobashi remarked and spit at his face.

"Have at you, you pink cur!" His strong arm gripped him through the bars with extreme force, almost choking him. After letting him go, he sulked back near the corner to avoid being grabbed again. Pinkobashi did not expect the scientist to muster the strength to harm him.

"I have studied your progress in battle against our forces to the finest of details. Your copy ability weapons acquired by my associate have given me great insight into your capabilities."

He pressed a remote to open a hidden television screen of twelve screens within the wall and activate the screen to play the real-time footage of Galaxy Squad on six television screens documenting the Battle of Green Greens that resulted in a major defeat for the DeDenidean military forces. Pinkobashi was hypnotized by the imagery and mesmerized by the impact of the footage. The memories of hell were flooding back to him. There were hours of footage recorded on the videos at once at different times playing at quick speeds. One showed Jack firing off a Homing Spark and downing a Bronto Burt fighter plane in midair. Isha freezing two Dee troopers to death with her Ice Gun and kicking them around. Ruby was shown taking aim at an enemy position and opening fire on a tank's weak spot. Aisha fired off some explosive cutters to eviscerate through a group of enemy infantry. Blaze could be observed unleashing his flamethrower and incinerating a pair of unsuspecting enemy Waddle Dee troopers. The last video showed Pinkobashi charging and launching a final shot of his Beam Heavy Machine gun at the Waddle Dee experimental tank. The destruction of the gigantic tank was viewed from multiple angles. As soon as the superweapon vanished into oblivion, the video ended.

Pinkobashi remembered suddenly being watched by a hidden camera around one of the enemy bases. Pinkobashi felt violated by being exposed like that. He had no idea that the enemy was scrutinizing his every move. He paid attention to the enemy as he was stalked.

"Now I have acquired all your copy ability weapons, we understand everything there is to know about you! We can best any of you in combat! You're nothing without those weapons. You will all be shipped off to DeDenidea soon! Your kind will face oblivion!"

"You're not taking us there!" Ruby shouted. "Over my dead body!"

"We are on the cusp of the next stage in our species evolution! Our ability will be advanced beyond that of the puffballs! We Waddle Dees will be the dominant species on this planet! We Dees are not the ones who waddle around all day but are truly the most productive! You puffballs will be history! The nation of Poponia will be reduced to a mere colony by our will!" The corrupted mindset had gotten to him.

"You imperialist!" Isha spit back at them with harsh venom.

"I know of your tricks, petulant child! You have much to learn! I am well aware of your intellect. But my intellect is clearly superior to yours."

"These machines we have can have a better application than just war, you know. We can use them to serve all of the Poponian kind. Not for your designs of conquest."

"Conquest is only the first step. You jump to conclusions too easily. This scientific discovery can revolutionize our very society itself. The foresight that went into planning this was excellent. Only such a dastardly mind could devise such a deadly contraption...a Dee mind…."

"Deenon!" The commander blurted in response. He knew it was to be true.

"I knew everything about that man. It was the trademark of Deenon! I know! He was my associate!"

"Then why did he break away from DeDenidea!? He was responsible for your Blood Moon project."

The angry scientist slammed his fist at the wall without feeling any pain. "He did none of that! That bastard took everything from me! My precious research! I had the Blood Moon hypothesis! He stole all my designs and took all the credit! I should have received all the glory! Instead he used his research to benefit some unfit suckers like you!"

Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the base. Lights with alerts flashed by the group. The commanders readied their rifles at once.

"OH SHIT!" The scientist spasmed and threw his arms down on a panel in the rest of the group

"Master Deerex! A carrier plane has penetrated our airspace and is flying over the main island. A black P-32 with the markings of a terrorist group called Nebula Squad. A Poponian strike team is approaching the island. They must be joining with a second invasion wave."

"All soldiers! Battlestations!" On the leader's command, the two other Dees saluted and armed themselves to join their Dee platoons in battle. They could hear the sounds of cannon fire.

Pinkobashi thought to himself about the Nebula Squad.

The scientist retreated into the door and slammed the door to keep the area secure in his area. He readied his phone to his ear and ordered his command to shoot down the enemy plane making its approach and force his troops to search for any other enemy forces into position in the anticipation of a possible diversion.

At above 1000 feet in midair, one lone carrier plane was flying above the sands amid the cannonfire and missiles. It was emblazoned along its blood tray a cluster of stars and comets. The sky was filled with smoke and ash, already compounded by the factory residue. The sounds of fighter aircraft taking off from the hangars and soaring through the sky were very noticeable. Float Islands had descended into chaos once again.

The enemy had not known that the strike team was deployed by a carrier in a nearby fleet that was approaching the area. They were the diversion to a stronger attack that was ready to deploy once their objective was complete.

Onboard the plane, six powerful puffballs recounted their orders from command. They had the colors of pink, blue, red, green, yellow, and shadow. Each of them were heavily armed and highly dangerous. The members of the group were more than ready to engage the enemy.

The commander of the brave legion, a grey bald-headed puffball known as Phillip, call sign Echo, addressed the group while they were loading their guns and preparing for battle. Phillip was an excellent warrior.

"Alright, Squad! Your mission from high command is to get to that main factory base up there and secure the area. We lost contact with Galaxy Squad about two hours ago and need to recover them. We also have to search for any Blood Moon depots. There's one underground near the facility. Your main objective is to destroy their latest naval superweapon that they have deployed. We will all be facing heavy resistance from the enemy! Show no mercy and we'll all get back home in one piece!"

"We need that thing destroyed if we want to win this war!" One of the younger ones, the close quarters expert, spoke up.

"Another one bites the dust!" The team explosives expert, being the wisecracking badass, joked.

"Get ready to deploy! Now!"

"Hooh-rah!" The rest of them all shouted in unison as they readied for the low-altitude jump.

All six of them jumped off the rear end of the plane and puffed up like parachutes at low altitude in the harsh winds, slowly descending against the forces of nature to the hardened ground. They could not be touched. As soon as they perceived a cannon opening fire on them, they pushed out of the way to dodge the fire. They skydived in a close formation as they fell on the enemy location. Once they landed, they were immediately surrounded by at least a hundred regular Dee soldiers outfitted with numerous deadly weapons.

The group opened fire with their regular machine gun arms before they unveiled their special weapons. A dozen Dees were decimated with multiple holes in the opening salvo alone, yet they just kept coming in the hope that sheer Deepower in a wave rush formation in a densely packed area would overwhelm them into submission. Then the enemy sent in a large tank battalion after the troopers. They expected that opening fire on them with their main guns in a show of force. However, that strategy was a total failure.

Phillip reminded them all to 'bring out the big guns', and they were unique in their own way. Copy ability weapons! The latest in Poponian engineering! All were of different properties, specifically designed to fit their specific talents. All six of them opened fire on the enemy forces. They ignored the bloodshed as they slaughtered the opposition.

The Rocket Hammer, wielded by the heavy, could wreck steel blocks as if it were nothing and make quick work of infantry and enemy tanks. He swung his hammer, propelling two targets into the air. The heavy engaged a single tank with his brutal weapon. He battered the cannon with two swings, rendering the main gun inoperable, before crushing the gas tank and blowing it up. Another tank opened fire on their position. He planted the hammer on the ground with the hammer faced up, with one of the sides opening to fire heat-seeking missiles that rained hell on the enemy position. He performed a titanic flip, which lit his hammer on fire and swung to incinerate enemy forces effortlessly. He blasted them out of his way with the force of a rocket. Whenever he ran he was able to spin with his hammer, barreling the enemy troops into the air and crushing their bones with intense force, the impact killing them. Their joints were limp and paralyzed from the assault. Their brains were reduced to a red bloody mush. Gravity did the rest.

The team sniper utilized a Needle Rifle which gave the user the ability to fire various types of needle weaponry. The hardened armor of high-ranking Waddle Doos were no match for the caliber of the bullets that could even tear through solid steel. He could change the weapon to fire like an assault rifle, firing a dozen hardened needle-like projectiles that could ignite upon impact, burning the targets alive. The tanks were left as sitting ducks when their armor plating was bored through like paper and pierced by the explosive bullets. Snipers were trying to pick off their targets but were unsuccessful. The Rifle could also provide a steel ball-like encasement as defense whenever the user got overwhelmed from enemy fire.

The team demolitions expert possessed a Wheel Launcher that could send rolling wheel-like bombs at their enemies with intense force. Firing them at the enemy could enable them to spin and build up precision and speed. They locked onto their targets and accelerated toward the tanks without stopping, detonating them as if they were grenades. The wheels could accelerate once they located and recognized patterns to avoid being hit by oncoming projectiles. The launcher could also double as a rolling shield that could absorb the impact of long-range weapons. He could turn himself into a wheel and also use the weapon as a vehicle, acting like a smaller, more nimble Wheelie Rider that could travel just as fast at its top speed. Whenever the soldier got close to moving vehicles he used his sidearms to score hits.

The team spy acquired a Laser Blaster, a ray gun copy ability weapon that could fire reflecting lasers and travel from target to target at extreme speeds. He readied his beam from a visor covering his eyes targeting the enemy. His arms and hands acted as the weapons, with the beams coming out of his arm as if he were firing explosive ki blasts. The tanks and their internals were perforated by blue beams of amplified light. The intense jumping of the beams from two of them punctured several hard points. The tank crews were unable to focus as they were being incinerated. After ten seconds, both tanks sparked and exploded. Several chunks blasted off the armor and flew in multiple directions. He fired a charged beam at an oncoming tank, the laser beam drilling through the middle. After a few seconds, the heat turned the tank into a volatile pressure cooker, blowing it up. The steel beasts had met their master. In spite of the advanced targeting system, there was no way for the spy to engage the enemy in the air. One beam ricocheted off a cliff face and hit the engine of a trailing jet, blowing it up in midair. The chaotic explosion that downed the enemy aircraft forced the others to change formation and open fire. They dodged the falling bombs.

The team close quarters expert employed the Stone Cracker, a hardened shotgun-like weapon that could launch giant hardened stones on enemy targets. Infantry were crushed when he could turn into a heavy stone, utterly invincible to enemy heavy fire. He was able to shield himself from tank rounds by turning himself into a living projectie, the target boring through the enemy forces. The tanks were crushed and flattened, the smashing pressure of 100 tons atop their gunners and main guns crushing their occupants and igniting their fuel tanks. The close quarters expert could also fire rocks that could spread out and ricochet at extremely fast speeds with his weapon, the blast knocking the enemy infantry out cold when struck at the head. They were easily overwhelmed when a well placed attack on their battle group caused them to break their ranks and crumble, losing their morale. They chose not to retreat only to have their ambitions crushed in a matter of seconds.

Phillip as Nebula team leader was granted arguably the most powerful of the experimental copy ability weapons. Known as the Tornado Cannon, it was outfitted with a devastating sonic cannon that could annihilate anything in its path by launching mighty tornado projections at foes. Those tornados could kill enemy troopers and redirect enemy projectiles. The weapon was also able to provide a barrier against enemy projectile weapons. He personally christened it the Ancients' Vengeance. The weapon was incredibly useful against all types of enemies. The tanks were quickly trying to open fire on them but he was able to send their missiles off course and spin them toward the enemy. Several explosions blossomed over the battlefield. He could fire it at the oncoming jets, the impact of the winds knocking them off course and causing them to crash into their formation. The pilots quickly figured that they were stripped of their wings and still met their bitter end falling to the ground. The last two tanks were dispatched by Phillip firing two rounds in quick succession, the miniature maelstroms massacring the military menace. The electronics of the tanks were compromised and disabled, ready for a shot to stop the tank crew from ever bringing the power back online.

After the enemy was already massacred, Phillip readied from his cell phone relaying the coordinates as he observed the wreckage. "Enemy forces have been eliminated in the area. Send in the ground troops!"

"Roger. Deploying heavy tanks and infantry!" In about a minute, a whole invading army of a few hundred men was descending on the island, running and grouping together to receive orders from high command. Several battleships were nearing the island, opening fire and barraging enemy bases with rockets and gunfire from several hundred meters away. Waves of Poponian regular forces were marching off of amphibious landing craft guns blazing. DeDenidean aircraft were heading in the direction of the ground troops for Poponian fighters to intercept. Explosions and gunfire were over the beaches. Machine guns and grenades and cannons tore everything to shreds. One Poponian trooper was shown to be gravely wounded by enemy grenade fire, trying to relay a message to high command. They were pinned down and requested immediate assistance. They needed reinforcements immediately. Nebula Squad reckoned that they needed help, yet the team still had to complete its mission, and they kept moving forward.

Eventually, they came across a particular somber swordfish swimming in a nearby water. They were reminded by the fish to find his friends. Apparently the fish was supposedly left for dead. They substituted their weapons for their underwater gear and quickly dove in after Splash.

Deerex the scientist was glancing at observing his watch as he heard the Shotzo artillery guns open fire on the enemy position in the horizon. It was time to leave the facility immediately. The sounds of the booming cannons were resounding through the hallowed halls. As the Waddle Dee scientist was racing through the hallway to gather the Copy Ability weapons along with his men, he barked on his cell phone to his superiors that were warning them that they have copy abilities too. They had entirely different types of weapons at their disposal. His intellect enabled him to engineer them for weapons of war, perhaps strengthen them. He was superior to the charlatan Deenon, the traitor to his kind who chose to side with those who plotted the extermination of his race. Deerex sacrificed his very decency and sanity to enable this mad dream of his to become foreseeable. Mass-producing these weapons of war could enable their massive military to gain total control over their enemies and turn the tide in their favor. He delighted in the fact that the destructive capacity of these almighty weapons were soon to fall in the hands of the most capable Dees instead of those overgrown pieces of gum. Unfortunately, fulfilling that dream would have to wait.

"Master Deerex! Our forces are being overwhelmed!"

"Impossible! What the hell are they doing!?" The smartalec lost control of the situation.

"Master Deerex, we're taking heavy casualties! The terrorists of Nebula Squad are joining up with a massive invasion force! They're heading this way!"

"Damn! Copy-ability weapons! Fall back! Protect the main fortress!"

"Get the guns ready!"

"Ready my ship! I will deal with them." Two high-ranking courageous Waddle Dee troopers saluted their master and ran in the opposite direction.

"Prepare the submarines! Launch more aircraft! Get the battleships ready! Deploy the Blue Giant! Crush all of them! Sink those enemy battleships! Shoot their jets out of the sky!"

"Yes sir!" The mad scientist ended the call and went to join the enemy forces amassing a defensive line. He only had a few hours to get to the location. He still had a backup plan. All the copied files were sent to DeDenidea to analyze the newly-acquired weapons and mass-produce them for battlefield use on a massive scale. Even if he were to lose the Copy Ability Weapons or get captured or even perish in the process, Deerex still had a backup plan.

The mad scientist was approached by the mysterious masked assailant dressed in black, holding a powerful black energy sword. The weapon possessed a metallic hilt that could absorb the shock. The person was able to single handedly engage the dreaded Galaxy Squad in combat and devastated them one by one, but oddly chose not to kill them in response. The weapon was a black sword that could generate plasma sword beams. The scientist addressed the hired mercenary in a simple way.

"We praise you for your service in crushing those cursed little whelps…"

"My pleasure…"

"We have some more unwelcome guests…"

"I'll take care of them….personally….farewell…." The menacing warrior in black disappeared out of sight, vanishing without a trace. A phantom had left the room. The scientist just knew that he had a final weapon in his possession that would put them all out of commission.

The situation would only be getting worse from there. Nebula Squad was able to swim through the enemy-occupied area with ease, with Splash as their humble guide, without much trouble. They thankfully did not face any enemy troops along the way. After a few minutes of swimming, they surfaced at an undisclosed location, but immediately triggered the alarms when they were caught off guard by an enemy Bouncy drone alerting them to the presence of the entire base. The welcoming committee came in the form of several highly-trained Waddle Dee lieutenants and at least one main battle tank. The tank opened fire with its machine gun, forcing the team to run in the opposite direction. Nebula Squad's close quarters expert fired off a round of the stone cannon to splatter one of the enemy Waddle Dees against a wall single handedly, the impact killing him instantly. The enemy tank was quickly destroyed by a well-placed strike of the Rocket Hammer when the heavy charged at the target and spun with his attack. Three powerful swings launched off several armored plates before the machine crashed into the wall. The explosion from the casualties shook the walls on the floor above them. The running scientist nearly tripped when he felt the impact, fearing for his life. He made it to the emergency exit area and unlocked the door with his secret access pass.

The alarms from the enemy base were too intense for the members of Galaxy Squad to handle, the screaming noise ringing in their ears.

"Make it stop!" Pinkobashi howled. They could hear the voices of Waddle Dee troopers mobilizing, running through the hallways with their heavy machine guns and opening fire on the intruders. The echo of the firing quickly stopped and the alarms stopped sounding. They were all disabled somehow.

They heard the screams of Waddle Dee troopers and a giant explosion engulfing the door followed by the blinding flash. The giant door was primed to explode with a pair of charges that were affixed to the door. Smoke and ash filled the room. Both guards were dead. The members of Galaxy Squad were coughing and trying to shield themselves from the smoke. The commander announced his presence to the group.

"Galaxy Squad...this is Commander Philip of Nebula Squad...we're here to rescue you!" The purple fellow addressed the team and shook the hand of Commander Alexander before they both performed the Poponian royal salute.

"It's been a while since we last spoken…" Alexander joined in

"Thank the gods!" the team sniper was rather relieved.

"We don't have much time!"

"Where are the reinforcements…"

"They're already raiding the very island as we speak!"

"Great news! Those DeDenideans will get what's coming for them!"

Galaxy Squad then went to meet the rest of the mighty team of Nebula Squad.

"Where are our copy ability weapons?…"

"We don't have them...but I have an idea of who might have them!"

"Who are you guys?"

"Attention!" They all lined up one after the other. He inspected the six troopers.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves...Nebula Squad assemble!" Phillip announced to his teamt.

"This is the heavy weapons guy….he wields the Rocket Hammer…" He pointed to the yellow muscular puffball whose prowess impressed Jack. He smiled as he proudly held his weapon.

"Pleased to meet you...I've gotten my workout in..."

"This is our sniper….he wields the Needle Rifle…." He gestured to the male red puffball.

"This is our spy, she is a master of the Laser Blaster…." The spy with glasses looked stylish and impressive with that powerful visor weapon of hers that was highly advanced.

"Such ingenious weaponry….precision will allow us to allow certainty…."

"This is our team explosives expert…he uses the Wheel Launcher." The explosive expert held his weapon and loaded the wheel-like grenades inside the ammo cartridge.

"Let's keep moving...we have to get to the base itself...I know someone who knows a shortcut!" The lone swordfish was presented to them.

"Splash! You're okay!" Ruby shouted with glee. Pinkobashi wanted to run out and grab him.

"We have to go..."

They kept moving. The base alarms suddenly sounded again. They kept moving through the sector, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Waddle Dee troopers were entering the base.

As they were racing to a safe spot, the spy was asked by Ruby about where the copy ability weapons were located.

"Chances are these weapons are not in one location, but are moving away from here…we haven't tracked them...but we were able to hack into the base's security systems and find that they are being held by that mad scientist who was monologuing about his master plan…."

"Let's hope we're not being drawn into another trap…"

As they raced past the water, they tried to stay low as the base was on high alert. Bronto Burt aircraft were flying low searching for survivors. The Poponian invasion force was still there.

They could hear the VTOL jets taking off from the islands and racing into the sky. Glunks were still in the water.

"Keep moving…"

Two large white Squishy octopi surprised the two teams after they jumped out of the water, their tentacles thrashing about once they propelled them out of the water.

"Squishies! Take them out!"

Alexander sliced and diced one of the creatures. Pinkobashi, using his recently-acquired cutter ability, tore the other squid to shreds. Purple blood filled the water in a gruesome fashion.

"Excellent work…"

The Nebula team heavy, after crushing another barrier in their path, found upon some entrance to another underwater cave.

"Pinkobashi...let me amplify use your power and follow my lead…."

"You heard the fish…" Phillip advised.

Pinkobashi got inside Splash's mouth and the two jumped into the water. They jumped out of the shallow water onto dry land, with Splash hopping on the land just fine even with him putting on some extra pounds. They found another series of three abandoned pipes where a single landborne dark-topped eel known as an Eileel was jumping out at them from the pipes, trying to bite them with their sharp teeth or pull them into the water. The water snake recognized the smell of the fish and was drawn by its odor, ready for a meal. The eel were easily cleaved apart from the cutter attack as soon as it popped out. The pair then came across four more pipes of the same look inhabited by the carnivorous Eileel. The creatures had nowhere to hide even if they were trying to peek and harass their prey before killing it. The challenge was quickly surmounted. An enemy Rocky soldier near a shallow pit that granted access to another section of the cave was surprised by the attack and planned to crush them beneath his feet, but the cutter blade attack was able to withstand and crush his heavy armor with tremendous force, knocking the enemy's dead body in the water. The team was able to catch up with Pinkobashi and Splash by that point.

Both teams gathered up their copy ability equipment and swam after the pair. The currents coming from the submerged pipes were pushing them forward in their favor. Pinkobashi fired off some of his powerful cutter rounds to obliterate the oncoming Blipper fish swimming in the narrow cave. They did not want to waste time assaulting the fish only if they got in the way and were trying to attack them. As soon as they found an area near a beachside from which to surface they still did not find any sign of their missing copy weapons. They could see several sinking metal hunks that were once mighty Poponian battleships massacred by enemy naval forces. Another active destroyer was heavily damaged and slowly trying to fire back at something that was approaching them. It was practically defenseless against the wrath of the oncoming cannon fire.

They could make out a large metallic fortress heading in their direction getting closer.

"The Blue Giant is here! It's heading this way! Get out of here! Abandon ship! AHHHH!" Commander Phillip could hear one of the captains panicking over the coms link before the final message crackled and faded away in a giant explosion that engulfed the bridge of ship, the blast near the ammunition causing it to shatter in thirds and sink to the bottom.

"Blue Giant?!" Phillip seemed confused by the name.

"That thing!" Aisha pointed toward the massive warship reloading its many cannons and rockets before searching for more active targets.

"By the ancients!" He was awed by its numerous weapons aboard its deck as it started to slow down.

Eventually, the teams knew where they found the copy ability weapons. Deerex was holding them all in his backpack, laughing maniacally as he held them in his arms. Only this time he was aboard the massive Blue Giant battleship itself, commanding the beast directly as it was situated a few clicks north from their position on the beachhead. The radar picked all of them up. All of its guns were pointed right at both teams and opened fire, raining hell on their positions. Several missiles were launched from the vertical launch center and sent soaring toward their position. Both squads were completely outmatched against a state-of-the-art warship.

The opening salvo of the thundering rockets flew in multiple directions, the explosions leveling the ground with the impact of furious winds. The firing cannons were belching numerous explosive projectiles into the air, buffeting the environment.

"We're taking heavy fire! We need to get to cover immediately!" The heavy called out to the group. The Stonetosser used his barrier power to shield the team from the blasts.

"We're pinned down! We need air support!"

"Believe me, we won't need it for this battle!"

Pinkobashi felt disoriented from the intensity of the assault as the cannon fire continued to fall on their position.

"I have an idea! We know what to do! Let's go Splash!"

"Wait Pinkobashi!"

The spy quickly fired off a few of her Laser cannons at the oncoming rockets with pinpoint accuracy, the beam blowing several of them in quick succession.

"I pray that he has it covered!"

"Wait for us!" Jack ran after them in the water.

"Cover us! Okay!"

"We got it!" The Nebula Squad team leader relayed the order.

They were eventually going head to head with the mysterious masked assassin, drawing her large blade to strike them with a large plasma barrage. At least half of the party had copy ability weapons with them. Now they had bigger problems to handle with.

They ran in and joined in the fray. Pinkobashi ordered Splash to duck from the heavy cannons and missile fire that were flying straight over them. Waddle Dee troopers were running to their landing craft aboard the ship to secure the beachhead.

Splash with Pinkobashi's cutter ability fired off several cutter rounds under the water. They dodged the blasts. One well-placed cutter blast attack blew up a sinking depth charge, giving the enemy the impression that the enemy submarine was destroyed, but the massive warship kept firing on the beachhead. They lept out of the water and jumped onboard a low platform.

Galaxy Squad did the same a few minutes later wielding their conventional standard issue weapons.

"Give me a safe position! Cover me! Watch this!" Phillip ordered his team before he held the trigger down and watched him aim at the middle of the battleship as it was turning around. He launched off several rounds from his Tornado Cannon at once, the swirling impact of a few large electric tornados shredding through a large chunk of the conning tower and the hull itself, the perforation being the spark for a massive fire that engulfed much of the entire battleship's platform. Nearly half of the entire crew was annihilated in a giant burst of flame. It appeared as if a Crash Bomb had just gone off over the vessel itself. The mighty ship was now reduced to that of a floating wreck, stripped of many of its onboard weapons. The Waddle Dee crew were already abandoning the ship, leaping out of the vessel into the water.

"We need to get on that battleship! And fast!" Blaze argued for the next course of action.

"Quick! Our weapons are onboard the ship! I have detected one life sign! And our weapons are right next to it!" Isha noted the movement of the troopers.

Isha engaged the tracking device on their weapons and located them at the conning tower.

One angry Deerex immediately finished climbing out of the metal scrap heap, watching cannonfire decimate the horizons. He pressed an active big red button that looked like a black outline of an angler fish as a last resort.

"Commander Merlin, What's the sitrep?"

"Blue Giant has sustained heavy damage! Repeat! Blue Giant has sustained heavy damage!" They heard the communications link of the crew of the Poponian Royal Navy destroyer.

"Keep firing men! I want that ship destroyed!"

"Captain! You're not going to like this! Enemy submarine approaching! It's right underneath us! It's opening fire! It's using some kind of directed energy weapon!"

"All hands, evasive maneuvers!"

"How is that possible!? What the hell! AAAH!"

Suddenly a gigantic electrical plasma flare surging from underneath the water caused the Poponian destroyer to vanish in a giant explosion and send it sinking in less than a minute. As soon as the ship was destroyed, another ship a few clicks northeast met the same fate. In seconds another destroyer was decimated, the blast tearing its stern asunder before annihilating the bridge and masts. The entire crew disappeared from radar before disappearing from sight. The Poponian invasion fleet's strength was quickly weakening.

"What is going on over there!? Some kind of submarine?" The team scout listened to the talk.

"That's no submarine!" The water started to rise and a large plume spouted over the beachhead with the breaching of a dorsal fin, sending gallons of water into the sky. The team knew it was Sweet Stuff, but its outward appearance was the complete opposite under the water, a harrowing sight to behold. One giant brown ugly looking angler fish with its glowing yellow lure leapt out of the water. Its pair of demonic eyes watched them above its razor-sharp teeth. Its giant yellow lightbulb-like lure of luminous flesh dangled near its snout searching for prey. It quickly disappeared.

"We can't reach that thing!" The close quarter's expert lamented.

"We need to sink that creature before it decimates our fleet!" Alexander alerted the teams.

"Splash! Pinkobashi! New orders!" The commander relayed the order.

"Roger that!"

Splash and Pinkobashi quickly ran and dove under the water in a thrilling chase. Eventually they followed the shadowy mass into a deep trench that was noticeably darker than before. Eventually the beast became more clear to them in all its horrifying glory. Its mouth and sharp jaws nearly engulfed them. They swept out of the way in a quick dodge before looking the creature in the face.

BOSS BATTLE!

Sweet Stuff circled in front of them, bobbing backwards while keeping an eye on them and opening its jaws. Its yellow fins on its sides were flopping constantly as it tried to push itself through the water. The irises were expanding and contracting in a sickening matter, as if the creature were rabid, always ready to attack. The angler fish, despite being large, was incredibly agile, being able to dart around the abyss with ease. They dodged the lunges and bites with ease, nearly being swallowed by the hungry animal each time. Even with Splash's legendary speed the creature could still catch up with them and try to make them into another meal, charging at them with extreme force.

Two one-eyed Tincell starfish floating from further through the abyss were slowly swirling toward them, firing small electric bolts that could home in on their target. They ascended and descended while watching their movements and opened fire. Pinkobashi's cutter ability destroyed all of them by splitting them in half. After the flying projectiles exploded, bursting forth blood and guts, the remains sank to the bottom before decaying in the sea.

Two star-shaped spinning projectiles appeared again for the pattern to repeat itself

Two Squishies were darting through the caverns, homing in on the pair. Pinkobashi fired one cutter rounds, eviscerating the white torpedo-like squids in seconds and burning their insides.

The beast then immediately lunged right for them with its mouth agape, attempting to swallow them whole. They quickly descended. Its powerful lure brightly glowed yellow and fired off a series of arrow-like electrical bursts that consisted of two projectiles. The creature fired them at the bottom, the middle, and the top of the cavern in quick succession. The bolts appeared to go through the rock crevice itself. They immediately dodged the attacks, weaving through each volley of energy. The explosions crashed against the undersea floor, leveling the area and causing the cave to shake. Since a few of those powerful blasts in a single volley could decimate a warship on the surface, the magnitude of the power was still a force to be reckoned with. Pinkobashi could feel the intensity of the water pressure sparking.

More Tincells that were heading in their direction met the same fate as the others.

With every shot that Sweet Stuff endured the large fish became more erratic in its behavior.

It fired off several blasts of energy again, the explosions knocking Splash around. Pinkobashi aimed his cutter weapon and fired off more rounds. After being fired at with several shots, the giant creature glowed shortly before the ensuing detonation. Splash tried to swim out of the way but the blast was far too strong. Pinkobashi could feel the water surrounding him, braving the blast that followed by the large searing flash. Everything blacked out for him as the bubbles continued to rise and heavy rocks fell from the top of the cave.

A giant explosion leveled the ocean floor, enveloping a good part of the surface in a flaming bubble. Once the creature was supposedly dead, the team watched in shock and hoped that they could find Splash and Pinkobashi, frantically searching for life signs as they headed for the water. They saw Splash and Pinkobashi immediately surface as soon as they could see a bunch of bubbles at the surface.

"Are you guys alright?" Isha asked.

"Never been better!" The young warrior responded as he was spitting out water.

"You made a meal of that big fish lad!" Jack commented on their success.

"Sweet Stuff is KIA!"

"Hey Galaxy Squad! You've got your weapons back!"

"We sure did! The mad scientist must have left them when he vanished from the ship….We found him dead by a sword slash...His bloodied backpack was tossed away with all six of the weapons. They were completely intact." The members of Galaxy Squad held out their weapons. Pinkobashi was glad to be handed back his Beam Heavy Machine Gun by Blaze.

"Great!" He responded triumphantly.

Galaxy Squad could receive the rewards of their mission with a congratulations from high command.

"I'll miss you, Splash!" Pinkobashi ran out to shake Splash's fin.

"You're welcome. Catch you later!" The swordfish smiled before he dived down again and the rest of the team waved after him.

They eventually paid their farewell to Nebula Squad while their respective carrier transport planes descended on their position, waving as the engines ignited before takeoff. Galaxy Squad could watch the reinforcements heading for the main base and the enemy retreating from the island. All was going well for their side so far. Unfortunately, their chances of further searching the undersea compound, and with it the Blood Moon deposits in the area, were already sunk. The hope of securing an advantage over the enemy that was already a few steps ahead of them was quickly slipping from their grasp.

Pinkobashi could only focus on what happened to that dead body of the scientist. He could make out a voice in his head of the contemplating victim and the killer as they tried to talk over one another, the victim not seeing the betrayal behind his back. The killer was speaking with an aggressive masculine tone as he insulted his victim. "Remember this! It is not the weapon that makes the warrior! It is their fortitude alone!" The mysterious warrior impaled the weapon right through the sinister scientist's black heart, leaving a gruesome and bloody mess that could not be described in words. The murder looked like that of Galaxy Squad, specifically Alexander with his giant sword copy ability weapon. There was no way to tell.

Eventually Alexander's cell phone rang and he came in contact with the team handler, while the rest of the team listened intently.

"Commander Alexander, what's your status?..."

"We're all good, general...Sweet Stuff has been destroyed..."

"Sweet Stuff...Strange name for a submarine..."

"We fried that overgrown angler fish..."

"An overgrown angler fish..."

"Yes..."

"Hell yeah! I fucked that fish up!" Pinkobahi shouted over the communications link,

"DeDenidea is getting strange in what is coming out of their weapons development programs..." The handler was interested.

"Anyway...on that note...We don't have much time to waste...what's going on with our new mission?..."

"Sure...this one is an arctic operations mission...you'll be bringing your heavy winter coat for this one..."

"Where are we headed?"

"This place is just called the Iceberg...one of the largest icebergs in the world, in fact...near the northern pole...temperatures especially in this time of year are incredibly cold...you'll have more to deal with than the Pengys..."

"I can't wait!" Isha hollered, unable to keep her excitement in check. The environment suited her well. She loved the winter climate of her homeland, for her country geographically bordered it.

"You shouldn't be too happy about it...It gets much worse...there's a giant enemy base located there...you're all going to be facing a giant enemy weapon..."

"Giant weapon...like the Blue Giant..."

"Not at all...that weapon puts the Blue Giant to shame...and it's not even a battleship..."

"Really..."

"Gather your forces to fight the Ice Dragon...our intelligence has no data on its capabilities...it's been reported slaughtering our invasion forces easily...we are making one final desperate assault on the area before we have to pull out...it'll be risky...are you up for the challenge?..."

"We're up for it. General!...we all are!"

"Thank you...I can trust you all to take down that Ice Dragon...get it done, Galaxy Squad!"

"We got it under control...Alexander out..."' He ended the call while his loyal compatriots were dismissed. They reloaded their standard issue weapons and leisured before their plane landed.

Pinkobashi wandered around the beach. He tried to ignore what transpired. He couldn't stay away from the calmness of water for a swim, trying to drown his constant sorrows away. He would be leaving in a few hours. The members of Galaxy Squad soon found the members of Nebula Squad saying their goodbyes and whisking away to their respective destinations. As their carrier plane was landing, they ignored the suffering felt by the enemy forces below. Their victory would be short lived, however, being a minor setback at worst in the grand scheme of things. They were now venturing into a land where hell had literally frozen over.


	11. Chapter 10: Frozen Hell

CHAPTER 10

Iceberg. Unknown iceberg located near the uppermost polar regions of Pop Star. The location of a hidden DeDenidean arctic supply base. Galaxy Squad has been dispatched to search and destroy the latest experimental weapon designed for polar ops, codenamed Ice Dragon.

Iceberg, Classified location, 1200 Hours.

Soon hell itself had frozen over. The frigid temperature was the least of their worries.

Pinkobashi was welcomed to feel the thousands of snowflakes and ice storms pelter against the frosty window of the transport. Everyone onboard was unfazed by the intrusion. He tried not to be distracted but he couldn't help himself. He never visited anywhere near the northern pole, having learned of the expeditions in his history class a long time ago. Temperatures at this time of year ranged at around fifty degrees below zero. The winter storms tampered with the electronic reception. Blaze was sitting in the chair next to him, busily trying to read an in-flight news magazine, trying not to bother him. He kept wondering about the progress that he and his comrades have made over the course of their campaign against the DeDenidean military. They were always facing obstacles at any turn, especially when they least expected it. Pinkobashi went to consult his legendary superior about his recent promotion. He knew he had it for sure.

"Pilot….what's our status….how far are we ?"

"Target about 1000 meters away….ETA 5 minutes…." The St-239 as a carrier aircraft could travel at speeds of over 500 miles per hour, yet as the weather was seemingly compounding the success of the mission, with frequent turbulence, they were still okay.

"Good...we'll be more than ready…"

"Our polar scouts lost contact here a few hours ago….I wonder what happened to them..."

"It's not worth asking about….we just have to get out of there in one piece…" Ruby hoped. "I can't wait for this to be over."

"Let's hope that this doesn't turn into a suicide mission…." The spy lamented.

"We won't be receiving backup this time…."

"Damn..."

They put on their elite extreme weather polar combat gear, everything from parka helmets to boots was covered in white camouflage to blend in with their icy surroundings. They also looked quite cool in them. Isha was delighted to put the female outfit on, pulling her arms back while looking in a personal mirror after showing herself off in a coquettish manner.

"I look the best with this outfit on…."

"I don't want my flamethrower to be frozen!" Blaze growled as he zipped up his jacket.

"Don't worry about it…."

"I'm already feeling hot in them...can't wait to go outside…." Ariana complained. The indoor heating of the plane inside the blood tray was already as hot as it could be.

"Right." They grabbed all of their weapons and suited up, pulling the parka hoods and tactical goggles over their heads followed by their heated gloves on their arms.

"We need to destroy that Ice Dragon….that was the big tank-killer monster…..right?" Pinkobashi tried to refresh his memory from the mission briefing.

"Correct...Pinkobashi…we still don't know what it's capable of…." Jack argued.

"Intelligence never gives us anything better to do….we just have to beat this one big monster every time and save this area from the enemy forces….don't you find that this gets a little repetitive…."

"I can see that….but think of the consequences of not doing so….keep your spirits up, me boyo…."

"Where are the Crimson Cores we have to take back?...It's like we can never find them…"

"I'm not sure why that's the case…"

"It's like we're being set up to fail...I mean we got captured last time…."

"I'm sad to hear….we've never gotten captured before!"

Pinkobashi immediately purged the despondent thoughts of his mind, and listened to the sounds of the drill of the military system, remembering every word his superiors told him. Out from the distance he could see a black submarine skimming over the surface of the icy water with its periscope open along with its conning tower and deck gun.

"We've been detected…." The loud alarm sounded near the front of the carrier plane.

"Impossible! How in the hell are they detecting our presence every single time?!" Blaze argued.

"They keep jamming us!"

Two blips on the radar were fast approaching their position with two DeDenidean ace Birdon interceptors closing in. The "enemy missile approaching! Evade immediately!" signal flashed. He tried to deploy countermeasures, but it was too late to misjudge the firing distance. These enemy pilots attacked without warning. There was no way to let out a distress signal.

"Hold onto something!" The pilot saw at least fifty heat-seeking missiles launch from the ground from the missiles. The alarms were flashing red. Anti-air missiles coming from platforms a few dozen meters away were fast approaching. The pilot jerked the flight stick to the left in a quick bank to dodge the oncoming rocket fire from the enemy ack-ack pilot tried to cut them off by turning to the left, but there was no way to stop the enemy from matching his movement.

"I can't shake em'!"

"Man the turrets!" Alexander ordered.

"Can't! They've been disabled!" The pilot shouted as he heard the sounds of more Capsule J2 jets flying near them and opening fire before joining with the interceptors. A great ear-shattering explosion struck one of the engines and rear fuselage. The pilot was quickly losing control of the aircraft, trying to stay the course, but it was impossible. The altitude meter was dropping fast.

"This thing is falling apart! Taking heavy damage! We can't take much more!"

"Damn!"

"We're going down!"

They could see a nearby mountain appear larger and larger as they were falling. They could also see the giant enemy base in view and everything opening fire on them at once. The flashes of the cannons and sounds were disorienting and even seizure-inducing.

"We're going to crash!"

"I can't watch!" Isha panicked, shielding her eyes while Ruby held on tight to her.

"OH SHIT!" Pinkobashi shouted.

"Brace for impact!" His eyes were fixated on an incoming enemy missile flying right at them.

Pinkobashi tried to run to the back of the plane as quickly as he could and narrowly tripped. As soon as he lost control of himself, trying not to give in, he saw the fire engulfing the entire plane and a giant explosion tear at the foundations of the carrier itself. The whole plane was enveloping into fire as the frozen hell storms filled the iron casing of the aircraft. Everything seemingly vanished from sight when he blacked out and the fire consumed everything in its path. His teammates vanished from his sight. They did not see everything. Pinkobashi saw the fires of hell itself engulfing everything inside the plane, yet he felt the chilling embrace of the frigid air as he quickly descended to the ground. Pinkobashi heard the howling winds blow through the openings. All he could see directly in front of him was the bloody carcass of the pilot strewn out of the red mush filling the snow.

"Is everyone alright?!" Pinkobashi struggled to get himself up but after about a minute he was able to pull himself back up. It seemed like he was unharmed.

"Guys….are you alright?"

"Guys!" Pinkobashi shouted but no one seemed to listen to his cries for help. He was surrounded by steel girders penetrating the ice shelf. The propellers were on fire. Massive puffs of smoke from a burning wind turbine filled the air, clouding his vision and almost choking him. The front of the downed carrier plane was flattened upon impact, the pressure tearing at the inside of the craft. He crawled toward a corpse and handled the dog tag hanging from his neck known with a golden star adjoined with wings on both sides. It was clear to him that the pilot was dead. He could faintly hear Isha's voice, but judging by her increasing speed and voice she was alright.

"Pinkobashi! You're alright!" Isha ran out to hug him in a warm embrace.

Ruby hugged Isha as soon as she saw her, the two of them locking eyes.

"What's your status…"

"We're safe….Blaze!"

"Hey Pinkobashi! That was quite a rough landing!"

"Don't worry! We've had worse."

"Aisha!" Blaze grabbed his hand and used his weight to pull her out of the snow. "Get up!"

Jack, using his powerful strength, was able to pick up his commanding officer rather easily even if Alexander with all his gear was the second-heaviest member of the team. "Pinkobashi! You're alright."

"Thanks Jack!" Surpisingly, no one else was injured.

"Is everyone alright?" The commander asked the group.

"The pilot's dead!" Pinkobashi reminded them.

"That's just great!" The commander tried to get his mind in order.

"No time to worry! We have a mission to complete!" The heavy tried to keep their spirits up.

"Lead the way, commander!" The close quarters expert shouted.

"Ruby! Ariana! Take recon position northwest. The rest of you, take your weapons and come with me! Keep moving!" Pinkobashi, feeling his boots sink into the heavy slosh of the snow. He exerted more energy than usual to head through the snow, trying not to run and trip. They hoped that they were not too far away from the dropping point.

They quickly saw the side of the mountain.

"The enemy iceberg base should be on the other side of this giant mountain!" The commander advised them as they prepared a harness to ascend the summit.

"If we keep moving at this rate...we'll be able to see the base from here in less than an hour...we still have the element of surprise on our hands..." The commander quipped. They all hoped that the enemy thought their whole unit was killed in the crash, but there was always no guarantee that they were still active. It was a miracle that they survived the explosion. He remembered fondly of the methods in which the enemy could catch unsuspecting stranded platoons off guard and kill without mercy. They could never stay in one place at all. The only thing to do was to prepare for the worst. Pinkobashi stayed close to Jack, trying to concentrate as he felt the winter winds getting more intense at this height. After a few hours of reaching the summit, they saw the base itself. They could observe the enemy patrols mobilizing all around the base, with tanks and troops moving all around the premises.

"Alright...we need to find an opening….some kind of special area so we can slip in undetected…."

"Shouldn't be hard at all…" Pinkobashi responded.

"We have to use the deep ice tunnels and ice caves to get there safely…." They ran close to a tunnel opening with their guns at the ready.

"We're still a long way away from the base!"

"Ambush!"

A dozen Waddle Dee troopers wearing ice camouflage ran into view and opened fire. The blaring alarms coming from the enemy base were sounding once again. Galaxy Squad hoped that it wouldn't be a repeat of the last mission.

"Open fire!" They grabbed out their assault rifles and shot at the enemy forces. Ruby fired off a shot with her Fire Sniper, the powerful shot leaving a burning hole in the head of the Waddle Dee trooper, reducing his brains to hot pink mush and evaporating his skull into nothingness. Ariana fired off her cutter copy ability weapon, cutting through an enemy Dee soldier and disabling an enemy tank that was right behind him, stopping it in its shattered tracks. The heavy unleashed two Spark shots in quick succession that was able to launch two assault-rifle wielding troopers back followed by another two troopers of the same rank. Pinkobashi fired off a round of his beam heavy machine gun, subduing two enemy troopers that came close to him and tried to toss a grenade aimed in his general direction. A tank battalion was slowly approaching their position along with more waves of enemy troopers from a transport convoy. A fast-moving armored IFV also came into view. Blaze tore out his flamethrower copy ability weapon and torched one of the Dees to death, hearing the enemy's sadistic scream and not responding to his cry for help. One Waddle Doo sniper was opening fire on their position, with one accurate round landing a few feet away from Isha. Ruby quickly killed the sniper once he gave away his position. Alexander withdrew his sword weapon and dismembered a Dee trooper with his mighty blade. Pinkobashi readied a charged shot from his beam copy ability weapon and fired at a heavy tank, destroying the vehicle in a single shot. He didn't look back. The turret was blown clean off of the tank, the blast tearing through the armor and shattering it, killing all the occupants. Alexander ran toward the IFV and readied a powerful giga slash that sliced through the steel of the engine, the force of the cut providing for the spark that killed the driver and gunner along with two other troopers. He was delighted to be a one-man armor buster himself.

"Enemies eliminated…." Commander Alexander noted. "Let's keep moving…we'll try to avoid that tank platoon whenever we can...Galaxy Squad...this way!"

As soon as they kept moving, they saw a heavy gun emplacement turret opening fire on an oncoming Poponian carrier plane. Galaxy Squad had no knowledge that there were others.

"Take out that turret!"

"I got it!" Pinkobashi placed a grenade near the turret, the blast killing the Dee gunner as soon as the enemy saw the grenade roll near him. He tried to get out of the way but it was too late. Galaxy Squad kept moving to steady ground as the situation was becoming more chaotic. Now the infiltration mission was becoming an all-out assault on the enemy base, with Poponian forces joining in the attack. The reports were expecting that the Poponians were outnumbering the DeDenideans two to one but the heroic puffballs were gaining a swift foothold. They needed all the help they could get. The troopers kept blowing up the cannons as they passed, slaughtering Dee soldiers of various ranks as they closely moved to the base. Pinkobashi could barely hear the voices of his comrades that were drowned out by the engines of oncoming fighter jets and the explosions from missile and thundering cannon fire rumbling over the sky. It was raining black ash rather than white snow. The war of nature took its course, where only the strongest would survive. It would take a long time before the wounds would continue to heal over the damage of the Battle of the First Iceberg.

The group continued running near the forward operating base. A Sparky stood still and discharged powerful spark attacks immediately. One Spiky quickly showed its thorns in defense but was quickly shot to death with a single shot of Ariana's pistol to the head. It never mattered why those creatures were expendable. As they kept moving they confronted two jumping Bouncies along with a Waddle Dee guard on top of a small fortification. Ruby's sniper rifle quickly took care of the enemies. Two floating raindrop-looking silver creatures with a single large silver propeller on their heads were calmly floating in place with a happy expression and their eyes glowed.

"Wait, Pinkobashi!" Blaze shouted. The Propellers quickly zoomed toward them while displaying menacing scowls as soon as they noticed. At least one of the members of Galaxy Squad was creeped out by their appearance.

"Propeller bombs! Get back!" The commander shouted.

"What the hell!?" Pinkobashi shouted as they were getting closer.

"They're just like Scarfies!" Now he was worried.

"Damn it!" Pinkobashi fired off a round at the first creature, quickly aiming right for the head, the shot, the armor absorbing the impact. Anywhere the creature could be hit was not able to trigger the bomb. They must have timed to explode like smart bombs. There was no way to tell. Isha jumped in front of his way with her ice copy ability weapon, freezing the flying Propeller instantly into an ice block in midair. The other one met the same fate. A Flamer that was stuck in between a few blocks was swallowed by Pinkobashi, giving him the chance to destroy the enemy with his burning ability.

"I've got the quickest way to beat these things. Leave them to me! It's better than defusing them when they're knocked down. Those things are floating anti-personnel mines. They can chase you faster than the Scarfies can if you disturb them." Isha reminded him.

"Thanks! I owe you one!" Isha smiled in response.

A Bronto Burt aircraft that had taken off from a tall tower nearby strafed at a low altitude. Jack's homing spark was able to trail after it and down the jet in flight, killing the pilot. A large Shotzo cannon that was firing at the sky at Poponian aircraft eventually lowered its main barrel to open fire on them. Pinkobashi quickly discharged off a charged beam attack.

"Keep moving, lad! Get out of the way! Those Shotzo cannons are invincible." Jack tried to warn him. Pinkobashi immediately remembered how strong the weapons were on Float Islands a few years ago, but tried not to let his thoughts get in the way of their objective. The armor of the shielded cannon was not even scratched by the attack.

"There's no time to waste! Run!" They ran for it as soon as they heard a loud thunder. They felt the giant explosion coming from the cannon a few meters in front of them. Pinkobashi quickly went inside a base and shattered the barriers inside, hoping to find some enemies, but all he found was Gim the Gerbil formerly captured once again, delighted to see him.

"Thanks, mate!" He jumped with joy.

"I thought I…."

"Let's burn em' up!" The flame breath attack was instantly activated. Several penguin-looking creatures known as Pengy were sliding along their way while squawking, moving in terror. The birds spewed streams of ice fragments in defense.

"Get out of our way!"

Bronto Burt aircraft were slowly flying over them at a low altitude, firing their machine guns into the ice and snow. They could hear the oncoming fusillade and whooshing of the engines as the fighters climbed up into the sky. The two of them quickly killed a Sir Kibble by landing in front of him and burning him alive before entering a nearby base. They were immediately confronted with a giant chiseled block with a face and two flat feet weighing several tons, a giant creature called a Blocky. Its eyes were set on them. The creature charged toward the wall with its strange looking smile, leaving a large boulder in its wake, before turning around. It was clear to the pair that attacking their foe required them to be just as relentless. They immediately jumped and unleashed their fire power. The expression of the monster changed from a to a surprised face each time. The creature was hopping around the area, slamming down with tremendous force. After shooting it with their fire blast at least a few times, the Blocky fell to the ground and was ready to explode. Pinkobashi inhaled the Blocky's corpse and was able to feel hardened as a rock. He was now Stone Pinkobashi. Immediately after the beast was dispatched, the explosion forced open the locked door with tremendous force. Upon their escape, they found that they were on top of a small hill. They heard a loud thump, the sound immediately putting them on edge. It registered to them as a rock, but it really was a Rocky, recognizable by its expressionless eyes and no face. They tried burning the creature alive, but after a few hits, the creature broke up into pieces, unable to be reformed again.

"Rockies…be careful...their strength is in their weight alone….they compensate their speed for their speed…their hardened defenses are forced to be reckoned with..."

"Got it!"

"There's another one! Get em!'"

Jim turned into a giant heavy rock, allowing him to roll on the ground like a boulder. Pinkobashi tried to maintain control but ran on him, somehow allowing them to move. He was unable to use any of his weapons, but Jim was the weapon.

"Now we have speed on our side!"

"Rock on, mate!" the gerbil responded.

They ran down the hill, immediately dodging the Rockies falling on them and occasionally burning them to a crisp if they came too close to one.

As soon as they dropped down to the lower level, they caught the attention of three Bouncies hopping right next to them. The drones were immediately alarmed by their presence and engaged their attack mode, firing on the pair with their cannons. The robots were knocked back by the sheer power of the rock, crushed and flattened until they exploded.

"Keep going!"

As they were falling, they almost got splattered on the left wing by one of the Bronto Burt-looking aircraft. They thankfully weren't fired at. The two warriors then went to destroy several Bouncies in quick succession before meeting up with the rest of Galaxy Squad and consulting about their next course of action.

"Keep heading this way! We need to cover more ground. Intel states that another one of our soldiers was just captured by the enemy." Alexander ordered. "We'll split up."

"Right. Let's go!" Pinkobashi encouraged his furry friend to follow along.

The enemy tanks from the Iceberg base were heading in their general direction. The Poponian forces were struggling to get through. Pinkobashi and Jim got on the task and rolled forward, dodging the enemy fire and surprising the Waddle Dee soldiers along the way. The winds were particularly strong, but that did not matter. They jumped over the pits that were filled with Gordo bomb traps below. Their jumps were well-timed, carefully preventing them from getting blown up. Eventually they encountered a door to one of the command posts, where they found the hostage wrapped inside a bag on an adjoining platform on the other side of the room and a one-eyed Jumpershoot awaiting them below. Pinkobashi and Jim engaged their rock formation and rolled toward the enemy, pushing the rock into them, but the attack did little damage. The giant umbrella monster with its menacing eye was closing in on them, opening up and spinning around the room. After being pushed into a corner, they were struck back. The monster leapt up and launched its single heavy shoe at them, the impact on Pinkobashi's head was disorienting. After feeling the pain, the copy ability was launched out of them, bouncing around the room. They retrieved it and sucked it up, but the ability had no use, so Pinkobashi tried to spit it back at the monster when it jumped, but he misjudged the timing and missed. That projectile was a waste. Pinkobashi readied his Beam Heavy Machine Gun for a charged shot while Jim covered him. The monster dodged the attack by jumping up and throwing the shoe in their direction. They swallowed the shoe two more times before the Jumpershoot was finally defeated. The umbrella fell to the ground with a frozen opened-eye look and its tongue sticking out was ready to self-destruct again, but Pinkobashi was able to swallow the overgrown parasol and contain the damage. A parasol mysteriously appeared right by his side. Now he was Parasol Pinkobashi, wielding a powerful weapon of offense and defense. The two of them reached for the bag when the POW was actually Sash.

"Pinkobashi! Long time no see!"

"Where you need to go I will handle you best….you need air support for this part…."

"Jim….come with the others…."

"Right…."

"I'll be back…" Pinkobashi got onto Sash and the two flew through the air, feeling a rising giant explosion escape from the base. The self-destruct system seemed counter intuitive, but once they saw the gerbil leap out unscathed to engage the enemy they knew he was just fine. They suddenly activated their copy ability. Sash was able to use the umbrella and spin around just like the Jumpershoot did, using the momentum as a shield to block enemy attacks for a few seconds.

"These winds are nothing!" Sash boasted as they accelerated to another entryway. As they were ascending altitude, they were going through a chasm where several hardened icicles were falling from the top. They knew when to spin and absorb the impact, not feeling anything when if they didn't they would be in a lot of hurt. There were no enemies, just a life-threatening aerial obstacle course. Once they made it to the top, they charged through the barriers with intense force with their spinning attack, easily escaping the base. By inhaling an oncoming Flamer, they could have their burning powers as they did before their last encounter, crashing through the area with a powerful force, turning enemies into ash in a matter of seconds. The nearby bases were on high alert, deploying their troops. The Dee troopers on the ground were opening fire.

"We're not that far away...just two more areas to go!"

"Thanks for the intel…."

By crashing through the shielding with ease and combusting a few hostile Pengys along the way, Pinkobashi and Sash felt they were unstoppable everytime they activated their powers. After entering a base, they came in contact with a large lumbering blue walrus Mr. Frosty and prepared for battle. They knew that they needed to free the POW as quickly as possible. Mr. Frosty withdrew a large ice block and tried to throw it at them, but they engaged in a quick series of meteor attacks directly above the creature in varying directions, the slam connecting with his chest. There was no way for Mr. Frosty to predict their movements. He then launched an ice block directly at them, Pinkobashi inhaling it and spitting it back at him, the impact knocking him out. Once the beast was knocked down, Pinkobashi inhaled and absorbed the walrus. His skin felt an icy chill. His heart rate greatly slowed down as his skin froze up. His eyes glowed like crystals. He now took on the form of Ice Pinkobashi.

"One fatass walrus down."

"Excellent!" Splash the swordfish hopped out of the bag as soon as his restraints were broken.

"We have a short swim to deal with….I know where to go….let's go…." The fish informed them.

"I'll see you later, Pinkobashi…." The bird left the scene and headed for the battlefield, dodging incoming Burt fighters.

Pinkobashi got inside Splash's mouth and jumped into freezing cold water below. The chill felt oddly soothing. The ability created shining ice sparks all around them as if they were a shield, freezing anything in their path. There were no currents in the area, so they were able to zoom through the water relatively quickly, freezing Pengys, Blippers, and Glunks solid when the creatures came in contact with them. After jumping out of the water, they noticed their squadmates close by.

"Hey, it's Galaxy Squad…."

"Found Splash…." Pinkobashi announced to the rest of the group that had reunited with the other animal warriors.

"You got all of them...excellent work...now all we need to do is to stop that giant war machine.

"Splash….how are you doing?"

"Great…."

"We're kind of busy right now! We'll talk later.." Ariana stayed by the cover of a damaged enemy encampment and watched the bullets from enemy Dees fly past them. Jack had fired off a spark blast attack that devastated an enemy heavy tank with a single attack, causing a giant explosion that launched a few Dee soldiers into the air. Once the smoke cleared, they kept moving. Alexander easily eliminated a few of the commanding Dees within a few minutes of stabbing and slicing his way through waves of enemy troops and technicals. Pinkobashi and Splash used their ice shield to freeze a few Waddle Dees solid in their path.

A flying Propeller detected them and flew toward them. The ice attack froze the Propeller, reducing it to a hardened ice block that was immediately pushed out of the way.

"It's nice to hear someone who followed my advice." Isha perked up.

"Yeah...sure…" He chimed in.

Pinkobashi and Splash detected a few Cappy mercenaries and Poppy Bros. mercenaries alongside the Waddle Dee regulars before they easily eliminated them.

"All right...we're all clear..."

"All hostiles in this area have been eliminated...we have one more sector to go…"

"All we have left is the Iceberg base itself...this will be where the enemy has its secret weapon…I've hacked into the database and have located some weapons storage area..." Isha remarked.

"I can't wait to rip them a new one!" Blaze was excited.

"We all are, Blaze. We all are…"

Pinkobashi was glad to have all of the animal trio reunited in one place.

He gathered his strength as the rest of them continued with their mission, ruminating on the consequences of the ensuing war. It looked like the war would be over after a couple of missions. The weather conditions seemed to be getting worse as night was falling. A looming fortress at the center of the Iceberg in the distance was where the final stronghold was, a awe inspiring sight to behold. With the Poponian invasion forces nearing the location and taking heavy casualties alongside an additional garrison of reinforcements, Galaxy Squad needed all the help to traverse the landscape, yet the extenuating circumstances demanded otherwise.

The frozen wasteland of Iceberg would reward those who mastered its dangerous summits.


	12. Chapter 11: Slaying the Ice Dragon

CHAPTER 11

Iceberg. Unknown polar location for a giant enemy fortress. Galaxy Squad along with several fireteams have been deployed to search for the enemy weapon with no success. Three of the four sectors have already fallen to invading Poponian ground forces.

Unknown location, Iceberg, 1700 hours.

Night was falling over the enemy terrain. Galaxy Squad able to see an aurora borealis fall over the mountains. Isha and Ruby were awestruck by the flashing colors of the night sky. With all of the animal friends reunited, the rest of the team recovered their efforts.

"We have work to do...all we have is one more sector to clear..." Pinkobashi announced.

"Pinkobashi...pick your partner and move out..." Alexander urged.

"Got it!" Pinkobashi immediately chose the bird, both of them smiling before he got on his back. Sash immediately obliged.

"Let's go!" He got on the bird and jetted off, feeling the jolt of springing into action. They were both able to see Ruby commandeering Jim while Isha occupied Splash. Many Dee infantry died along their hell march.

As soon as Pinkobashi flew off, he could see explosions and hear gunfire from the Shotzo turrets along with Poponian jets bombing the encampments. The bases and their defenses were incinerated by the flames of the explosives engulfing everything in their blast radius.

"Where the hell could that Ice Dragon be? Do you have any idea, Sash?"

"Negative..."

"How the hell are you all getting captured...why don't they just kill you all right from the start...I mean...you all have been found in the same area..."

"I'm suffering from something..."

"Let's hope we can put an end to it..." Pinkobashi intoned as he noticed jets heading their way. They were clearly enemy Bronto Burt jets that had recently taken off to deal with enemy invaders. They saw an explosion killing some ground troops before they swept into their range. It must have come from one of the giant cannons near the base.

"Enemy Burt...engage..." They trailed behind it for Pinkobashi to fire on it with his copy ability weapon, the sparks slowly tearing at the hull before it disintegrated in a giant explosion. The pink blur could feel the blast almost knock him back from the shock.

"Scratch one Burt...we don't have any time to lose!" Sash remarked to his comrades below as the enemy plane was destroyed. They probably couldn't hear them at that height, but it didn't matter anyway. Both of them saw the approaching self-propelled artillery moving into position, launching several anti-aircraft missiles that were locked onto their position. A pair of Bronto Burt aircraft had already taken off from a nearby hangar and were zooming toward them.

"Missiles incoming! Look out!" Sash immediately descended as the missiles flew right over them. Pinkobashi could feel the rockets trailing past them, smelling the smoke from the fuel. Another volley immediately followed. The intensity of the firepower was the least of their worries. As soon as one of the Bronto Burt jets came into range, Pinkobashi ordered Sash to fly close for him to get off a few hits of his beam copy ability weapon. The machine gun was just as he expected, the rounds tearing through the hull and destroying the wings, the damage causing the plane to disintegrate in midair. Its pilot no longer existed, having vanished in the fiery wind that enveloped the cockpit and seared him to a crisp along with the smoke and gunpowder blackening his charred remains. The other enemy pilot opened fire with his machine guns, quickly locking on him from behind. Sash dodged the shot while Pinkobashi fired off a charge shot when the plane came into range. The pilot reflexively dodged the attack and readied for the kill, blasting toward them at sonic speeds. From a simple round right at the cockpit, the enemy pilot lost control of the plane, disabling its electronics.

"Enemy fighters down..."

"All we have left are those enemy artillery units over there..."

"Just great..."

"I wonder how the rest of the guys are doing?"

"Let's catch up with them later..."

"Pinkobashi...Sash...where the hell are you guys..." Jack asked them over the intercom.

"Hey guys...we're in the middle of something..." Pinkobashi pressed his bird to swoop down and blow through the artillery, leaving a series of thundering explosions that tore through the defensive line. They could hear the sounds of alarms and agonizing enemy Dees below.

"Are you guys alright?"

"We just cleared the anti-artillery guns..."

"Good...you have to join us now..."

"Excellent...be there in a second..." They quickly descended as the enemy planes were heading toward them without them noticing.

"I sense enemy movement...more fighters..." Sash spoke when he heard the thundering of three turbofan engines growing louder and louder.

Pinkobashi turned around and saw three more jets firing missiles in their general direction.

"We can't just catch a break..." They zoomed past them and turned around.

"What's taking them so long?" Jim groaned.

"Look there..." Blaze pointed up to Sash dodging the enemy missiles above them.

"Jack? Can you get a clear shot?"

"Yeah! I got a little power boost, lad..."

Jack immediately locked onto a trailing enemy jet and opened fire with a Homing Spark, the electrical surge frying the internals and combusting the active munitions, the strength of the fire tearing apart the structure and blowing up the plane. Pinkobashi immediately noticed Jack by recognizing the electric flash attack as another jet opened fire with its heat seeking missiles. Unlike a usual jet, Sash had no countermeasures or emergency flares or other heat sources to draw the fire of the missiles. Only lighting-quick instinct and timing could save them now. Taking the missile head-on would surely burn them alive. The two other jets were closing in on them.

"I can't get a clear shot...wait a minute...got it..." Jack readied for another shot, but saw the enemy planes opening fire on them below, hearing the jolt of the bullet fire pelting the hardened snow, forcing him to jump out of the way. "AAAHHH!" He shouted. The others jumped out of the way. "Damn it!" He nearly got hit. Even one of those bullets was fatal.

The enemy was reaching their position in the form of a large heavy attack helicopter built to look like a fully-grown Crack-Tweet. The chopper opened fire with its chaingun. Galaxy Squad was forced to run from the oncoming bullets. A few Waddle Dee soldiers approached them.

"Out of the way! Armor piercing round!" Ruby shouted as she fired a sniper round at the cockpit of the helicopter, the bullet tearing clear through the window and impaling the head of the pilot, causing the burning helicopter to spiral out of control and crash into a nearby hill.

Pinkobashi and Sash were still flying low to dodge the enemy fire from the fighter jets. The pink blur charged a beam attack and launched it at an enemy infantry fighting vehicle, the impact combusting the armor and zapping the crew inside before blowing it to smithereens. Alexander launched a sword beam, killing an enemy with a powerful slice of his blade. Ruby while Jim together used their normal weapons, slaughtering the enemy Dees easily. Blaze torched two enemy Dees alive by firing off a fireball flame shot from his flamethrower. The skirmish was over when they discovered that Pinkobashi and Sash together downed the two other jets without their help. As soon as they landed, they were glad to continue onward.

"That was easy..."

"We still have that one sector..."

As soon as they went forward, the group eventually encountered a large Efreeti that menacingly glared at them before leaping up in the air and igniting to perform a meteor attack. They immediately scattered and opened fire on the living ember. Pinkobashi fired off a charged beam shot, knocking the beast back when it took the full brunt of the blast. Ariana fired her cutter blades at the Efreeti, the projectiles doing damage, but not enough to keep it from charging toward them and force her to dodge its erratic movements. Isha, instead of using her copy ability weapon, relied on her small arms fire and sprayed at the creature with her assault rifle, but once it caught fire, it was seemingly invincible and burned the bullets to a crisp. Ruby fired her sniper rifle while riding atop Jim and pushing the creature backward, feeling the intensity of the bolt of the anti-tank round as soon as it launched through the barrel. Jack aimed and performed a spark attack to jolt the Efreeti, briefly paralyzing it for Alexander to charge and perform the final blow with his sword copy ability weapon. Once the creature was down and ready to engage its self-destruct sequence, he sliced with his sword and caused the cadaver to split open and explode, the bright impact of the blast unfazing him.

"Commander Alexander, are you alright?" Jack asked him.

"I've never been better...Let's keep moving..."

Once they started moving, they were cut off by two jumping Bouncy drones leaping and falling on them. Galaxy Squad was surprised when they were attacked by surprise when the machines jumped from behind their position. Galaxy Squad ran forward and turned around to get a good shot at them. Alexander lunged at the two machines with his sword weapon and hacked them to pieces, eviscerating them into tattered metallic hulks with well-placed slices before the cores of the drones malfunctioned and caught fire from the irreparable damage. He was getting quite good at his way of tearing apart the Bouncy drones. A jumping Drifter scout drone was blasted by Isha's ice gun, freezing the one-eyed umbrella into an ice block, before being kicked into a nearby hillside and shattering into pieces. Once Pinkobashi led the way through a dark cave, they ran and dodged the falling icicles from the ceiling as they moved.

Galaxy Squad and the three animal friends ventured up a small hill where a lone Rocky rolled down with the intention of flattening them. They all jumped out of the way or dodged the rolling rock as it reached the low point. A single Scarfy awaited them, smiling with its mouth agape as it hovered a few feet off of the ground. Ruby fired a shot of her pistol to cause the creature to blow up as soon as the bullet made contact. It did not look to the group that the creature was ready to transform into its evil form and scare its prey as soon as it was frightened. Perhaps that seemingly innocent creature was guarding the entrance to the adjoining military base. They ventured inside the facility with their weapons at the ready. As soon as they entered, they found that there were no elevators and that there was one way up. They had to jump on numerous hardened ice-looking platforms to ascend to the higher levels. Each of them was eager to get up there. Pinkobashi could hear the sound of cold water flowing from the jets coming from a nearby deep pool, but the bubbling was drowned out by the alarm system and the DeDenidean chatter coming from the base security guards.

"We're almost there...just a few more enemies to slaughter..."

"Sir Kibbles...I can hear their blades...three of them...one after the other..." Ariana detected the spinning of the cutter blades from the crests of their helmets, timing the intervals in between each throw. They were counted to throw within four seconds on command yet were trained to launch their projectiles as soon as they saw a target, complicating the judgment for when it was the proper time to strike, but she knew that it was now or never. Ariana concentrated and jumped up by herself. They jumped on to the three platforms, immediately confronting one Sir Kibble at the edge on the far right and far left side of each platform and killing the soldier in quick succession. Ariana fired her cutter blade shotgun immediately, the shots gutting the warrior's thick golden armor. As soon as she jumped up, she turned around and fired as soon as she landed, disrupting the aim of the surprised enemy and destroying the soldier with a well-timed attack with her copy ability weapon. As soon as she stopped, she exhaled from expending the quick energy to dispatch the troopers. Once the all clear sign was given by Ariana over the area, the rest of the team all hopped up. Pinkobashi and Sash quickly jumped up on the platforms, being able to reach the top floor easily, while the rest of Galaxy Squad followed suit.

Once the team landed, they saw a trio of Glunks, two of them on the ceiling and one on the ground, around an area of spike traps. Alexander hurtled over the sharp obstacle and sliced one of the anemones into bloody chunks with a single cut, before ordering the rest of the team to keep moving. Isha and Splash were standing on a block yet once one block disappeared, they fell into the water below. They must not have known that those platforms were disengaged through a pressure-sensor device. As they floated through the water with no way back up, they saw that one side was blocked by a slab of ice that they could not break. Isha was able to feel the cold water on her face and the chill permeate her body as they descended, feeling her heart rate slow as she adjusted to the environment. The two of them noticed a set of three blocks acting as a top to a series of three large pipes pushing up a jet stream of cold water. Isha inhaled two of the three blocks and spit them out along with some of the water in the process. As soon as they entered the area, the water dispersed, and they did not notice they were right by a Crimson core the whole time. They were awed by the glow. However, the thing was guarded by a wall of hardened ice blocks that could not be damaged by normal weapons. They lacked the tools to burn through the barriers that they could reach the other side. They reluctantly hopped up a series of small platforms to regroup up with the rest of the team back on the top.

As they descended, they encountered a series of three black point-defense turret Shotzos. They were smaller versions of the giant Shotzo cannon seen outside the base's perimeter, but could still fire a burst of rounds at a moment's notice. Even if they were smaller than the giant Shotzos, they still possessed defenses that were just as durable. At least they weren't able to fire off rounds in a quick succession. The bullets were slow to reload once the computer locked onto the location of the target. By quickly moving, the members of Galaxy Squad evaded the oncoming shots and reached the exit of the facility. It was too easy for them. The cannons kept firing. Jack fired off a spark blast, directly at one of the black cannons, vaporizing the cannon bolt but leaving no trace of damage. He swore that he would face his end. With no way to damage them, Galaxy Squad had to retreat or find some way to destroy the facility from the inside. They chose the former option rather quickly, for the enemy was always believed to have a special garrison reinforcements ready to be deployed in the base and flood the perimeter when they least expected it.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Pinkobashi hollered against the sounds of the blaring alarms and readied a charge shot near the hardened door, the impact launching the barrier back several meters as soon as the bolt disintegrated. There was no need to blow back the door with grenades or other explosives when he had a weapon possessing unlimited soon as they escaped the facility, all they could see was a giant cave a few clicks north of them. The ferocity of the snowstorms was getting more intense than before. They could still feel the chill. Isha was briefly distracted by the crowd of at least fifty Pengys huddling together for warmth in the distance, yet the crowd dispersed at the sight of more giant metal beasts.

"The area is secure...all enemy forces have been eliminated..." Alexander noted.

"That's good to hear...our forces seem to be making headway...the target is rumored to be in that bright cave over there..." The handler of Galaxy Squad remarked over the phone.

The team kept seeing a large battalion of heavily armed and heavily armored DeDenidean ground vehicles approaching their position. A convoy of troop carriers and tanks adjoined with self-propelled artillery were rolling over the snow and icy terrain with their hardened treads. They could hear the rumbling of their engines and gun fire. A few Poponian tank divisions were approaching the battalion and opening fire with their main cannons and machine guns. The violent fireworks lit up the night sky. They could feel a shaking tremor underneath their feet and a massive ice sheet shatter.

"Avalanche?...Avalanche..."

"Earthquake!" Ruby shouted.

Galaxy Squad raced down a large icy hillside with the hope of assisting their Poponian comrades, but were cut off by a giant fissure in the ice that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The ice started to crack in directions. The team started to scatter in varying directions and tried to rejoin with each other. Ruby while riding atop Jim the gerbil ran in between a widening gap and narrowly fell to their death, but was grabbed by a firm grip of Alexander's gloves to stop from slipping and being swallowed up by the widening crevice. Several ice blocks were launched in the air and fell to the ground at high speeds. As Blaze tried to burn his way through the snow, he was only sinking faster and it took too long for his flamethrower to melt the hardened ice shards. The whole sheet of the area was shifting erratically. Pinkobashi took to the air aboard Sash to get a better view of the situation. All that was there was a gigantic hole. He could not calculate the depth of the hole, but he could see that the diameter was at least fifty meters. A whole tank battalion could have been swallowed up. The ice was shifting in many directions, falling and shattering into large chunks into the hellish abyss. The fall would certainly be deadly. A giant explosion right from underneath them threw them off balance. It was as if a large bomb had gone off under the ice, yet the source was not artificial at all. Isha shook in terror, unable to calm herself down. Her heart was racing as all she could see was a giant shadow that looked like a large hill with eyes. It was no scientific anomaly. Jack fell face first in the snow and was able to pull Blaze out of the snow before pulling himself out of the range. A tired Isha tried to stay calm, firmly gripping the swordfish with her arms while Ruby joined her. The gerbil leaned against one of the giant ice slabs that weighed as much as a minivan.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Strange weather we're having..." The swordfish remarked as he watched the carnage unfold.

The large platoon of Poponian tanks were all being mercilessly destroyed in quick succession. Some were smashed to bits. One tank had its main cannon launched off like it was nothing before the interior was crushed and blown to bits. Another tank was knocked back against a mountain and rendered inoperable before an icy storm tore through its hole and killed everyone instantly. A third tank was battered by a giant ice block that tore through its armor. Several more tanks that were rolling near the edges of the fault lines suddenly exploded. The DeDenidean tanks were slowly moving away from the Poponian forces and opening fire from a wider distance, outmaneuvering them and outflanking them. The Poponian tanks were opening fire at a giant icy shadow lumbering toward them that quickly flattened them and blew them up. Several wounded Poponian soldiers that jumped out of a disabled main battle tank were frozen in fear on the spot from a mysterious wind that was coming from the shadow. None of the DeDenidean tanks were touched by the earthquake. Perhaps it could be better defined as an icequake. Only a few Poponian tanks were able to get out of there unscathed, but other than them there were no survivors. At least Galaxy Squad was unable to hear the chaos unfolding over the communications channel as they had before. The tank battalions were swiftly reduced down to five percent of their fighting strength in a matter of minutes. Out of the 200 Poponian tanks that were deployed to Iceberg there were only ten left. Those that fled the battlefield had disappeared from sight with no way to contact their superiors. That icequake was the least of their concerns.

Isha was shocked at what was happening. Sash suddenly had an epiphany. He could hear the noise faintly in the distance, a loud roar. Sash knew what the source really was. He ordered the team to get a closer look. As they kept moving and trudging through the snow, they saw the wreckage wrought by the storm and the metallic carcasses that were the tanks with polar operations camouflage. Pinkobashi kept staring into the lifeless eyes of a frozen victim with his gun held frozen in place and unable to be used. His heart had stopped beating a few minutes ago. There was no way to save them. All they could see was a lone marine in blue frozen with his teeth chattering and howling at the wind, having been driven insane by the loss of his brave comrades in battle. They tried to salvage a radio for a rescue helicopter from one of the damaged tanks. Unfortunately, much to their dismay, they were all destroyed and the communications were shot. To further complicate the matter, there were no outposts out in this frozen wasteland. It looked from the distance that the Poponian soldiers died in a powerful ice storm.

Jim narrowly stepped into a pit, but, upon closer examination, it was the shape of a giant footprint that had shattered the ice rather easily. From the shape of the toes with its sharp claws and three taloned toes, it belonged to some kind of giant lizard. Sash and Pinkobashi confirmed the sighting from at least a hundred feet up, shocked to find that it was a living creature that created all this carnage. Its rage was unparalleled by any beast the team had fought before. They reached the mouth of the cave without much trouble. Alexander pointed at them to follow his lead and Trying not to make a sound, they stayed close together and whispered to each other to follow his lead. They activated the miniature flashlights on their guns before entering the giant cave. They saw the icy walls making reflections around them. Pinkobashi could feel the cold drops of frozen water dripping from the ceiling of the cave. Ariana was awed by the sight of the beauty of the cave.

The temperature dropped lower than Galaxy Squad had felt before. Even the team shook from the chill of the corridor even with their polar gear on.

As soon as they slowly moved deeper and deeper in the cave, they encountered a scary shadow growing larger and larger. The shadow came into view with its large blue hide that was thick and scaly. A large pale white stomach bloated out in front of its heaving chest with each breath drawn from its lungs. Four blue spikes ran across its back within a few feet of each other, the defenses gleaming like crystals in the cave. Two glowing black eyes encountered them, looming over them at its full height. Its mouth opened, revealing a crooked jowl with sharp teeth and jaws strong enough to kill a soldier. The mouth disgorged a powerful icy breath that chilled the cave. The monster looked like a giant dinosaur. They definitely knew that it was the ice dragon.

BOSS BATTLE!

"What the hell is that thing!?" Jack blurted out. The monster glared directly at him and snorted.

"Spread out!" The members of Galaxy Squad immediately jumped out of the way on their commander's orders. "Open fire!" The explosions of high-caliber gunshots and flaming projectiles launched against the creature. Ruby fired off her Fire Sniper and tried to aim for the eyes yet the creature was constantly moving around the ground, dodging three shots in a row. She was unable to focus with all the chaos around her.

"Hey ugly! East this!" Jack fired a single homing spark aimed for the chest, temporarily zapping and incapacitating the creature. He ran toward the Ice Dragon as soon as the blast hit and tried to attack it again, but the creature spun its mighty tail and knocked Jack back to slam against the thick ice wall of the cave. He suffered a minor bruise on his back.

"Ugh." The warrior grunted.

"Are you alright Jack?" Ariana asked him.

"Never been better...just a flesh wound..." Ariana grabbed him by the arm and helped him up from the thick snow for the warrior to fight once more. After helping Jack up she fired off a round of cutter projectiles that collided against the creature.

Isha while still remaining close to Splash fired her ice gun while the fish ran for cover. The swordfish unveiled his machine gun and sprayed an entire magazine round at the Ice Dragon's chest, but the bullets were just bouncing off the skin. The scales of the creature were even thicker than before. He reloaded and tried to fire again but the beast lowered its head and exhaled a powerful freezing breath, forcing the two of them to get back. Blaze ran close to the Ice Dragon's legs and unleashed his flamethrower. The flames spread around the creature and crept up its legs and bottom. The beast howled and roared in pain. Blaze pumped up his fists and shouted "Yeah! Feel the burn, you bit ugly lizard! Have some more!" Rather than trying to drop on the floor and roll to disperse the flames, the creature spun its tail around itself to get rid of the flames almost immediately. Blaze was shocked. He was forced to retreat and fire off his machine guns, but the bullets weren't hitting it.

Alexander fired off several sword beams right at the creature's stubby arms and legs in the hope of decapitating the creature and disabling its movement, yet there were no cuts on the armored hide. Without any backup, he resorted to going in close with the cover of his teammates but was taken aback by the creature's ice breath attack.

Pinkobashi and Sash took to the air. Pinkobashi and Sash harassed the creature by firing with his beam whips near the face. The Ice Dragon swiped at them and nearly got close, but the swipe brought them close to fire a charge shot right at its face, yielding a large explosion that engulfed the entire face. The beast roared upon being temporarily blinded by the blast and charged with its tail, spinning its tail to provide momentum to its slow movement on the ground as a means of propulsion

The creature turned its back and fashioned a large ice chunk about the size of a tank with an ice block with its large tail, sending it sliding on the ground. Ruby and Ariana jumped out of the way.

The creature spun its tail to slowly propel itself toward Alexander, Jack, and Ariana, blowing its powerful ice breath. After briefly stopping the Ice Dragon was struck in the chest by an armor-piercing round of Ruby's sniper weapon, forcing the creature to charge toward her and swing its giant tail. Ruby immediately ducked to avoid the sweep, her sniper weapon sliding on the ice a few meters. Hopefully it wasn't damaged upon impact. Alexander grabbed the sniper and tossed it back to its user, but the Ice Dragon tried to lift its right leg to stomp and flatten the commander like a pancake. Alexander engaged his weapon's Mach Slash mode by pressing a special button. A series of ten powerful sword beam slashes that could cut through tank armor tore through the beast's skin, hurting the beast as it howled in pain. He tired after using the strong attack, feeling deprived of energy, but was launched back against the ice wall.

"Alexander...you alright?" Isha shouted.

"I hurt its foot...that's all that matters...the target is weakened..."

"Let's hope so...our chances of surviving this encounter have now dropped to less than ten percent..."

"How in the hell do you calculate that?"

"I don't account for luck...let's win this thing..." Alexander proudly smiled at her response.

The creature took to the air for two seconds and fell onto the ground with a thundering thump, causing the cave to shake and three large ice shards to fall from the ceiling of the cave.

"Get down!" Pinkobashi shouted, with the echo bouncing off the walls of the cave.

Pinkobashi while flying on Sash was able to easily dodge one of the falling projectiles.

The dragon jumped up again and landed, forcing them to retreat as it was getting too close.

A panicking Splash was pushed out of the way by Isha to dodge the projectiles. Judging by calculating the speed in her head, being impaled by one of those shards would surely be deadly especially for Splash. The ice shards fell and shattered in two fragments upon impact before disappearing and melting back into the ground. The two of them had not known that the beast was slowly moving toward them and firing off its icy breath attack and jumped out of the way. The Ice Dragon pushed another ice chunk right at Ruby and Gim. The hamster ran and jumped over the obstacle for Ruby to fire off another armor piercing round at the beast, slightly stalling it before they took to the air and floated over the creature to shoot it from behind, but the creature noticed them and swung its tail. They narrowly missed the slam that was nearly fatal. Pinkobashi and Sash took to the air again and fired another charge shot, but the creature instinctively jumped and dodged the explosive energy bolt, undeterred by the impact of the strike.

"Yeah! That thing can't hit us!"

The creature spun its tail near them.

Jack fired a homing spark shot at the Ice Dragon, briefly stunning it, but the creature was weakened. However, the force of the spin felt like a gale force wind and nearly forced Sash to fall spiraling to the ground. Two of their teammates, Alexander and Jack, provided a trampoline for their fall, grabbing them both. Pinkobashi could barely hear over the gunfire and the roars of the giant lumbering monster.

"Are you guys alright!? Yeah!"

"Don't worry...I've thought of something...it's our only shot..." Pinkobashi listened intently to Jack's words.

"What's the plan, Jack..."

"I'll stun it with one more homing spark and fire everything you got at it. Go for its head!"

"I hope it works..." Alexander responded.

"It's a risk we'll have to take..." About a minute later they all conversed their quick plan of action and then sprang into the heat of battle guns blazing. Jack fired a homing spark, the blast incapacitating the Ice Dragon with a force of thousands of volts of electricity at once.

"Pinkobashi! Now's your chance! Do it!" He shouted to the corporal.

"Get a load of this!" Pinkobashi reminded the creature. He charged the blast of his beam heavy machine gun to its maximum capacity and took the shot. A large explosion booming on the face flying toward the Ice Dragon made the creature flinch, not willing to look at the burning light of death. The creature tumbled to the ground, knocked out unconscious on the floor of the cave with a loud thud. In its downed state, it sparked and glowed violently, Ruby was worried about the timer counting down or fuse sparking inside the explosive that could not be disarmed or taken to a safe place. There was no safe distance to run.

"Hurry up! It's gonna blow!"

"Let's go! On the double!" Alexander barked his orders to his subordinates. With their weapons in hand, all the puffballs and their animal friends raced through the cave as fast as they could before they heard the searing flash of the blast engulf the remains of the dead creature. A massive fiery bubble-like explosion boomed through the caverns and leveled the cave but had not completely destroyed it. It felt like a large bomb had gone off inside the cavern. The ice walls were shattered into shards of glass and evaporated from the enormous shockwave. Once the smoke cleared, the members of Galaxy Squad got back on their feet and marched out of the cavern, tired and weary. They could see the DeDenidean forces retreating or being smashed by strong Poponian reprisals. The arctic base had fallen. Numerous Dee troopers had surrendered or deserted as more Poponian helicopters and carrier planes were landing on the ruins of the base.

"Good...the welcoming committee has finally arrived..." Blaze pointed to the Poponian planes flying overhead. Their team was victorious.

"How do you guys always end up finding us there?..." Pinkobashi kept asking the three animal friends for their advice.

"I don't know to be sure...we're assigned to similar sectors...we're vital assets to our lands as much as you are of yours...we make use of what we have..." Sash argued.

"We have elemental powers just like you puffballs. Without them we wouldn't be much help..." The gerbil continued.

"Before we get captured, we are always singled out first...the enemy knows of our movement...sometimes I feel like we're being followed after every mission...I'm serious...the war is not always the way that it seems..." The swordfish elaborated.

Jim pointed to his watch. "Look at the time...come on friends...our transport is landing...let's get a move on...don't be late..." They saw their white transport plane descend on the ground.

"Thanks for helping us secure the objective..." The elated swordfish jumped with joy.

"You're welcome...hey I didn't know you also had to destroy the Ice Dragon too..." Pinkobashi remarked.

"We didn't...all we had was to stop the DeDenideans from despoiling the area...their advanced technology could be dangerous to this land..."

"The DeDenideans are the bigger threat. Don't you guys ever think about our impact?"

"We sure do...I've heard that your species will become the dominant species that will bring the extinction of all life on Pop Star...but I'm not trusting the experts on that one, mate..."

"Charming...I know..."

"I've had some intuitions...some scientists that I have talked to have confirmed those suspicions..."

"That's not going to come to pass in our lifetimes...anyway...we'll see you later..."

"See you later, Pinkobashi. Until next time." Pinkobashi shook Sash's wing, followed by Splash's fin, and lastly Gim's paw.

"See you next mission."

All seven Galaxy Squad members waved as the animal friends took off on their transport plane. The night had grown dark. They could still see the aurora borealis.

Alexander heard his cell phone ringing and noted the call of their superior.

"Commander Alexander...status report..."

"General...the mission was a complete success..."

"I'm glad to hear...we've gotten word that the liberation of Iceberg is going to be a critical victory in the end of this war...now we have control of the pole...this will make a good area as a vantage point to strike them from afar..."

"What's up next..."

"Alright...this is going to be a tough one...Galaxy Squad is instructed to travel to Red Canyon, a barren and largely mountainous region near eastern Euelrope. There is a massive enemy complex located near there that is housing numerous enemy personnel and vehicles. You will have to destroy the enemy base and stop the deployment of their forces to meet our reinforcements heading through the region. There are five sectors in this area, one more than you're used to. You will have to face the bright and shining duo Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright that serve as the commanders of the forces there. They attack in tandem and can catch you off guard if you're not careful. Even if they work in a team, they are incredibly powerful and versatile on their own. After beating that mission...you'll have at least one more major battlefront to conquer...that will be revealed after you have defeated the duo..."

"Roger that...those two will be nothing compared to us..."

"Good luck, Galaxy Squad..."

"Excellent general...we'll let you know about our success soon...Alexander out..." He ended the call and ordered for a new transport aircraft to land.

The group remained quiet as the night was falling and it would be a while before their new transport came. Pinkobashi knew that, even with the weather changing, the storms of war never calmed. He watched the snowfall and was fondly reminded of the long winters.


	13. Chapter 12: Blood Red Canyon

CHAPTER 12

Red Canyon; Largely barren, rocky region being a large enemy-occupied area acting as the location for a giant hidden underground base. Highly protected area under attack by Galaxy Squad. This area is known for its numerous steep gorges, deep canyons, and rocky hillsides.

Red Canyon, Gorgaea, 1000 hours.

The morning was particularly harsh for Pinkobashi and his friends. At least the environment was much warmer without the need for each of them to wear those stuffy arctic-colored clothes. Their plane was flying at a low altitude to avoid enemy radar near the canyons even when the pilot was flying deep in enemy territory. There was always the fear that there was some hidden anti-aircraft battery or missile launcher covered beneath a crevice somewhere, ready to shoot down an unsuspecting pilot in a matter of seconds. The air defense linkage adjoining the new base they had to take down was said to be highly advanced. There were bound to be traps everywhere they went. It was better for them to step down at the lowest level and keep moving forward. The members of Galaxy Squad could feel the sunlight beaming through the windows a few minutes before touching down on enemy territory. Once they grabbed their weapons and marched close together, they chatted amongst themselves. Their carrier plane took off without delay without any notice of the enemy forces.

"Do you all remember the mission...we have to take out those two commanders..." Pinkobashi tried to recall the faint details of the mission objective they heard about a day ago.

"That is correct, Pinkobashi...those two commanders will be very hard to deal with...they're not out of the ordinary when it comes to DeDenidea's weapons technology..." Alexander said.

"This is a strange area for the enemy to take control of...I mean...the enemy should at least have known that we were coming..." Jack growled. "Come on...I want some action..."

"Hey Jack, you got your wish...they're coming..." Blaze reminded him as the enemy was converging its mechanized infantry forces on their position. Their patrols had gotten wind of their position. A few black-colored heavy tanks were moving up the large vehicle elevators and rolling up to them, opening fire with their machine guns while a few Waddle Dee infantry units followed close behind them. Both Blaze and Jack ran out of the way. The flamethrower user burned one of the armored machines, slowing the unit down for Jack to fire his spark blast and torch the burning wreck, the impact of the blast tearing the machine asunder. The second tank was disabled by well-placed cutter blades from Ariana's cutter blade shotgun, the blades acting as homing bombs that could greatly hamper the mobility of the war machine. Two more tanks were moving their way, opening fire with their main cannons. Pinkobashi ducked at the sight of the oncoming projectiles slamming against a cliffside with great force. He ran into their line of fire and launched two quick charge shots at the tanks, blowing them both up in quick succession. Once the enemy platoon was defeated, the base was on the defensive.

More Waddle Dee soldiers ran toward them with their guns. Alexander slashed at the arms of one of the troopers, easily killing the minor. He didn't stand a chance as the others suffered the same fate. After about ten well-placed slashes, all of the warriors were disposed of.

"This isn't much of a challenge at all." Alexander groaned over the blaring sounds of the base.

Three Bouncy drones were leaping near them. Jack fired a homing spark at one of the drones as soon as it landed near their group, the spark shattering its internals in a large explosion that reduced the machine to ashes and burning metals. Isha froze the second Bouncy as it was about to complete its jump, the machine seemingly in midair before falling and shattering to pieces, utterly unusable. The third Bouncy was destroyed by Ruby's sniper weapon, with a well-placed shot aimed right through the head in between the eyes, compromising its brain.

Once the three drones were destroyed, they found an entrance to a part of the base.

Pinkobashi elected to go inside by himself, where he came face to face with another Master Green, the menacing octopus thing his team encountered previously. He hoped it would be another pushover, but he did not expect it to be the case in the slightest. As soon as he landed on the ground, he noticed that he was directly below several deadly spikes. There was no point in ducking to dodge its attacks. The creature jumped close to Pinkobashi and readied a powerful electric charge around its body, the sparks firing all around. The pink blur had no choice but to keep his distance and fire a few whip-like rounds from his beam machine gun. The creature flashed briefly with each hit sustained. It tried to do its same spark attack again, buying Pinkobashi precious seconds to sink some more rounds into its hardened hide before resorting to a different tactic in the hope of countering its every move. The Master Green jumped up in the air to launch a star-like projectile on the ground. Pinkobashi swallowed it and spat it back at the monster, stunning it once again. The creature jumped back and fired off three more electric bolts. Pinkobashi dodged them, unable to swallow the high voltage attacks as they nearly hit him. There was no way for him to calculate the electrical output of coming into direct contact with its tentacles. He fired off another charged blast from his copy ability weapon to launch toward the head of the Master Green, the beast feeling the direct impact of the explosive blast that knocked it out. He vaguely remembered that all those larger monsters had something that could be salvaged. Pinkobashi ran closely to the Master Green and inhaled the monster. He felt the sparks coming across his body, the intense voltage flying all around him. His body was filled with electricity with volts sparking in the range of the thousands. He now became Spark Pinkobashi!

As soon as the monster was defeated, he found Jim the Gerbil underneath the ground inside a white bag near the spikes. Pinkobashi jumped on the gerbil and activated their combination ability. He could fire a whip-like barrier directly from his eyes. However, the attack had a short range, but the payload was incredibly strong, being able to fry any infantry that came near them. Jim was much more to him than a living taser weapon. The two of them hoped that they joined up with the rest of the gang where they continued slaughtering their way.

A small group of Waddle Dee troopers took aim and opened fire on the two warriors with their machine guns. By staying still and activating the spark ability, they were overloaded with thousands of volts of electricity and surrounded themselves with a circular electric barrier in the front, the whipping spark acting like a shield that caught anything in range directly in front of them. Jim and Pinkobashi could hear their screams in agony as the Waddle Dees were jolted and their bodies blackened beyond recognition. The enemy weapons were unusable and filled with sparks. They themselves did not want to get shocked.

"Yeah! Those Dees were toast!"

"We got another enemy tank battalion fast approaching...destroy it..."

"You got it!"

They sprang into action and jumped atop one of the rolling tanks. One of the gunners came up to shoot them with his pistol weapon but just as soon as he was about to open fire he was shocked to death. The conducting of the jolts travelled all around the vehicle and compromised its interior, causing it to detonate in a fiery plume of chaos. The two of them leaped off the tank as soon as it was showing signs of its destruction. Three more tanks suffered the same fate as the one before it. A series of multiple explosions welcomed the enemy but did not deter its advance. The shield could seemingly disintegrate enemy bullets. One of the heavy tanks from a few meters away fired its main cannon directly at the gerbil, forcing the animal to leap with a stunt as soon as he noticed the discharge of the round and heard the blast of the cannon. They felt the impact of the blast incinerating the ground.

"Woah! That was a close one!" Pinkobashi remarked as the tank accelerated.

"No need for surprises, mate!" He ran toward the tank that was trying to run them over.

They narrowly forgot that Jack fired off a homing spark to blast the tank into oblivion, launching its metallic remains back a few feet and incinerating the crew along with it.

"Jack!"

"Pinkobashi! Glad you found Jim again! You guys make a great team!"

"We need to keep moving! The gorges are dead ahead! We need to cross them quickly!"

Pinkobashi and Jim could not afford to look down. They did not want to stay in one place.

As they ran over what looked like unstable ground, they saw that it was disappearing to make room for a Gordo bomb trap below. Those black Gordos were rumored to be invincible.

"I got this!" Jim came off with a running start and jumped over the gorge. They landed softly. The length of the jump was about ten feet. He jumped again. Jim had olympic strength.

"Man, you're good..." Pinkobashi reckoned. "Now do that while slaying the enemy!"

"This is nothing!" The gerbil shouted as he led the way forward. Several Dee soldiers of varying ranks were caught in their range of his eye beams, zapped out of luck.

They came across a series of jumps with a few floating Gordo bombs, each relying on timing their jumps and accounting for the floating Gordos. They avoided getting jabbed by their long spikes. The other members of Galaxy Squad inhaled and floated over the terrain. As Blaze looked down, he was unable to see the bottom of the pits, much less determine the height from which they would fall if something went wrong.

They made it near a gorge with a Gordo hovering from left to right rather than up and down. The Gordos were always known to have fixed movement patterns that were predictable to dodge if a warrior had practice. Pinkobashi recalled hearing stories of the victims who failed.

Once they dodged they noticed an orange Scarfy floating near them.

"Scarfy! Dead ahead!" Pinkobashi felt the blast from the living bomb as soon as Jim zapped it into oblivion.

As they jumped up the top of another gorge, they were greeted with a few Poppy Bros Jr. mercenaries riding on large rolling apples. Ruby shot one of them in the head with her sniper before he could draw his pistol and shoot the pair. The hamster jumped and sprayed his beam attack with expert reaction timing on Pinkobashi's part, frying the short warriors with ease. Their apples disintegrated into ashes as soon as they were blasted with a single volley.

Both of them fell through a series of disappearing blocks, each of them avoiding a Gordo that was extremely close to them. Jim felt claustrophobic from being caught in the tight corners. As soon as they stopped, they kept moving to spot a series of small jumps they had to traverse all the while some of the air defenses were already active in the area. They heard the whooshing of the engines of several versatile Bront Burt like aircraft that had just taken off.

They immediately jumped and fired their spark whip as soon as they landed to avoid misjudging their jumps and being distracted by one of the enemy jets. They saw a spark blast from Jack's spark rocket launcher incinerate one in less than two seconds as soon as the spark collided with the cockpit. A Bront Burt aircraft that was flying directly in front of them forced them to open fire to keep moving. They fired their beam whip, at the cockpit, shattering the windows and jolting the pilot to death, sparking the engine behind the cockpit and yielding a giant explosion that could have very well knocked them back into the pits of death. The flying machine was tearing itself in two while the hamster and puffball leaped through the falling wreckage just before it vanished in a giant explosion. They found a door to the base and immediately entered it to avoid disturbing the Scarfy that was floating close to them. The friendly-looking creature strangely did not decide to follow them up the stairs before it was shot by small arms fire. They heard the explosions of the downed aircraft from Galaxy Squad.

As they jumped forward, they encountered a series of Gordos rising and falling near them. As they always judged their distance, the team always jumped when the coast was clear. If one of them ended up slipping there was no guarantee that they would survive the fall. Even floating too low just below the mouth of the pit could be fatal, as they have seen it firsthand. They came across a few Shotzos in the middle of their jumping range, carefully placed atop a star-looking block suspended in midair. The two of them tried to zap the cannon, but they noticed that the cannon absorbed the electricity and the attack just zapped the block into dust, causing the black cannon to fall straight down into the abyss below. They tried it two more times with each Shotzo that was placed in front of their line of sight. Carefulness was key.

As they jumped they encountered a few groups of enemies that suffered the same fate. A Waddle Dee soldier was fried and shocked off the platform he just landed on. Once they found the exit to the base, Jim and Pinkobashi came face to face with a Sword Knight baring his sword and trying to swipe at them with its sharp blade. They shocked the knight senseless, the spark traveling from the sword into the armor and zapping his blackened body. Once the Sword Knight was killed, Pinkobashi informed Alexander that the sector was secure.

As soon as they jumped and landed on a lower area with a forest brush alongside a base, they encountered several Bouncy drones that were already alerted of their arrival and fired with their cannons. The hamster ducked from the enemy fire while preparing another spark whip, frying their circuits and causing them to explode in quick succession. Once they climbed to the top of a small hill they noticed several Bronto Burt aircraft immediately flying past them. Unfortunately the jets were too far away for them to be hit by the spark blast, so they chose not to shock them and blow up the jets in midair. The jets were zooming away from them.

The two of them moved at a low area and killed the Spiny animals and Waddle Dee easily.

Three Bouncy drones were hopping toward them and occasionally firing their cannons at them. One of the Bouncy drones was in close range to be destroyed, while the other two were swiftly killed by Galaxy Squad once they made their way down.

Once they came across a bridge to the other side they could hear the approach of two jet aircraft zooming toward them. They turned around and tried to zap them but were splattered against the side of the jet, causing the hamster to yelp in pain. Jim was asked if he was hurt but he replied that he was fine. Pinkobashi and Jim found another door guarded by three more Bouncy drones that were opening fire on them. They fired their spark weapon and jumped and fired again, the range destroying all three of the robots easily.

When they landed, the two of them walked through a forest with tall trees

"This sure is a strange forest..." The pink warrior remarked.

"Look out!" The hamster urged him to duck from a flying crescent projectile that pierced the bark of a nearby tree. They heard a swoosh in midair and a masked ninja warrior appeared. Donning a dark purple garb with glaring yellow eyes, the Waiu was not to be trifled with.

The Waiu jumped into the air and threw a pair of crescent-like crescent projectiles. They quickly dodged, with the gerbil's precious fur narrowly being sheared in the process.

"We need to go on the offensive! This ninja guy isn't going to be the end of us!" The hamster fired his eye beams, hoping to shock the ninja and knock him out, but the jolt felt like nothing.

The Waiu fired off two more projectiles, one in midair and another while he landed. Pinkobashi expelled his ability and sucked up the round and spat it back at him before sucking the star back up and gaining the ability back. As soon as he got his power back, he just noticed that the ninja just vanished out of sight, leaving no trace.

"Hey! Where did he go?!" Pinkobashi looked all around while he noticed a blur jumping around the three tree trunks directly above him.

"He's above us!" The gerbil shouted as he frantically ran around the forest

"AHHH!" The purple warrior appeared and landed on the ground with a thundering kick. As soon as the ninja landed, a flaming star leaving a trail of fire jumped into the air with great force. Pinkobashi was unable to swallow it. He imagined it would leave a bad taste. The star did not seem to burn anything in its vicinity.

Pinkobashi's heart raced once he saw the Waiu appear right behind them and jump in the air and launch two more projectiles at them. Pinkobashi tried to dodge the attack and forced Jim to turn around and zap the ninja again, but the ninja disappeared again. He anticipated his moves. The Waiu jumped up on the ground with another fire star and launched more projectiles in an erratic fashion. The two of them easily dodged the fire star attack.

Once they jumped again, the Waiu tried to do a somersault kick attack but they weren't hit.

"AAHHH! I'm hit!" The gerbil screeched when he found one of the rounds piercing his fur Pinkobashi got off and tried to help him, but the crescent round was in pretty deep. The ability was knocked out of him, back to his regular form. He needed medical attention quickly. The ability star that bounced around the forest was quickly swallowed agaib by Pinkobashi.

"Stay back, Jim! Let me handle this!" Pinkobashi jumped in front of the ninja and zapped him a few times with his beam whip attack before he launched his charged beam attack directly at the ninja who tried to kick him into the dirt and burn him with another burning star attack.

"Now you're ancient history!" The pink warrior hollered upon finishing his delivery of the final blow. The ninja fell on his back, knocked out and unable to move, let alone speak or grunt. He fired a single attack of his beam copy ability weapon at the body of the defeated Waiu for it to violently explode in a glowing light. The ninja was ancient history for real this time.

The white bag fell over from one of the trees for Sash the falcon to come to their aid.

"Sash...you're alright!" Pinkobashi was elated.

"I heard your gerbil got into a rough fight...let me patch him up..."

He was able to pull out the projectile with his sharp talons right before it vanished. There were no medpacks, so Jim's only hope was to get them treated from Galaxy Squad.

"Thank you so much." The gerbi uttered. "I owe you one..."

"I'll take it from here...I think I know where your friends are..." The falcon flew off through the forest to join with Galaxy Squad, dodging the incoming Bronto Burt jets.

"See you later..." The two of them waved at Sash from below before he sped off.

Pinkobashi hopped back onto the gerbil and the two warriors hopped into a doorway to another cavern base. They heard a series of moving blocks and them slowly being propelled backward.

"What the hell...it's like the place is moving..." Pinkobashi was interested in how the room worked. It was as if the wall was being pushed on a giant rotating conveyor belt.

"The place is going to crush us! We have to get out of here!" The gerbil shouted.

They zoomed up a series of quick steps before they quickly dove into a pool of water and encountered a few Glunks. They kicked up and down to avoid being crushed. The two of them chose not to attack them and they zoomed out of the water as soon as possible. Upon getting out of the water and still being able to run and jump, they shot down two hovering VTOL Bronto Burts easily with their copy ability weapon before heading for the exit and finding more rock obstacles to jump over. They saw that they could take a lower and upper path of the area. The pair dodged a floating Gordo before they had to take the lower path to avoid wasting time. Once they reached the exit, they found another area full of enemy troops. A set of three black doorways each leading to different areas awaited them.

They took the second door and found a cylindrical knight known as Masher swinging and throwing a mace flail with tremendous strength. The mace slammed against the wall with a loud echo. The knight, seeing the pair through his visor, readied another flail. He was incredibly heavy, and unable for Pinkobashi to swallow, so he charged his copy ability weapon to its max and fired away. The lumbering warrior took the full strength of the blast head on before vanishing in the smoke. The knight may have been a heavyweight, but he was just another pushover. Another bag immediately fell for Splash the Swordfish to greet the pair.

"Hey there! How's my favorite Swordfish?"

"Glad to see you all...you haven't used spark with me this time...my powers are really cool..."

"Alright...here goes..." Pinkobashi successfully fused his spark powers with Splash once he got inside his mouth. The gerbil ran off by himself to join the rest of the team outside. They hopped out of a small pond of water before engaging the enemy. Due to Pinkobashi's spark ability, Splash was able to glow brightly while he held in his mouth powerful ultra-bright light bulbs that could explode when coming in contact with an enemy. Pinkobashi had to get inside for his protection in order for Splash to use the spark ability. He now possessed living anti-tank weapons that looked like normal household appliances once fired. He hopped toward the enemy Dees and fried them to death when they came in contact with the burning lightbulb.

They saw some Deeparatroopers heading their way, so Splash hopped up a few feet into the air and launched a lightbulb right in the enemy Dee's face, causing both the Drifter and descending Dee to disappear in a burning explosion that evaporated them into oblivion. They glowed and zapped the other Deeparatrooper, instantly killing the rider and vaporizing the living parachute. The swordfish hopped down when some of the Bronto Burt aircraft were taking off, spitting off two lightbulbs to home in on one of the planes, the lightbulbs acting like powerful grenades. The other Bronto Burt opened fire with its machine guns, nearly ripping them to shreds, but a crash of a well-placed lightbulb explosive caused the jet to break apart into pieces. The whole hangar was burning once the planes crashed and burned with their pilots reduced to ashes. Once the planes were destroyed, three brown Kabus mysteriously materialized in the air and spun toward them. Splash immediately reacted by keeping the lightbulb in his mouth and spinning around, shattering all three of the flying stone statues when they came in contact with them.

"You're doing great, Pinkobashi!" The swordfish congratulated him.

"Thanks!"

They found another entrance to a sector near a pond and found a couple of Glunks attaching themselves to the bottom of the floor of the pond. Three more Kabus were dropping onto what looked like a small piece of land and scouting the position, but they were ignored as Splash and Pinkobashi had another way in. Once they dove in, they were able to fire off the lightbulbs underwater and blow up the unsuspecting Glunks. Splash quickly observed that the water currents were causing them to move faster due to the pipes expelling more water pressure. This would be helpful in propelling them forward, but it narrowly would lead them to crash against a series of metallic spikes carefully placed a few meters in front of them, so they had to swim up or down against the current at times. Once they reached the end of the water section, the two of them had to race to the top of the summit. As soon as they saw an enemy they quickly launched a lightbulb explosive at it.

They found the rest of the team firing at a horde of numerous Waddle Dee regular soldiers.

"We got a runner over there...shoot him..." Pinkobashi pointed to one of the running Waddle Dees.

"Got him.." Splash fired an explosive at a fleeing Dee soldier, knocking him flat on his face.

They quickly evaded an angry Parachute that was harassing them before they jumped over three moving Gordos on their way up the suspended platforms. Once they reached the top floor, they were caught in between two Scarfies. Before the flying creatures could activate their monster forms, Splash fired off two explosives in two directions, killing them instantly. Both of them were unfazed by the two loud blasts. They both knew it to be too easy.

The fish and puffball encountered a large deep canyon where the five members of Galaxy Squad were at the far edge of the canyon taking aim at a few squadrons of enemy planes. They could see more garrisons of Waddle Dee troopers mobilizing on the other side. More tanks and armored units were moving around the canyon in anticipation of their arrival. They knew well that they were outnumbered by the mass deployment of infantry units.

"We've got multiple enemy aircraft closing in on our position...shoot them down immediately..." Alexander ordered. They could count at least twenty five birds in the air.

Sash was chasing after one of the Bronto Burt aircraft and blowing it out of the sky with Jack riding with his spark rocket launcher. "I can't help bring them all down myself..."

With Pinkobashi's aid, Splash jumped and spat off a single spark light bulb at two descending planes that were opening fire on them with their machine guns. Both were destroyed in seconds. They could hear the pattering sounds of the metallic bullets ricochet off the ground, narrowly hitting them as the jets were assaulting them in the air.

One descending VTOL plane fired off a large air-to-ground missile, forcing the team to dodge the missile and the explosion powerful enough to knock them off into the abyss. They all had to split up and engage the planes separately. Ruby fired two quick nti-tank shots of her sniper rifle tearing through the armor of another flying jet. The first shot pierced the engine and the second shot killed the pilot and caused the aircraft to spiral out of control and crash against the canyon to yield a giant explosion. They looked away from the wreckage.

Ariana fired off a cutter blade volley from her shotgun that shattered one of the cockpits and lacerated the pilot, blowing up the flying machine at close range. Isha froze one of the Burts.

Suddenly, a zooming Propeller flew in out of nowhere to blow up in front of them.

"Propeller at 12 o clock!" Pinkobashi surveyed. Splash readied a single lightbulb bomb to blow it up.

"Wait! I got this! Stand back!"

Alexander readied a powerful series of jabs with his sword gun to tear the bomblet in several chunks before it exploded. The warrior jumped back as soon as it sparked, all three of the soldiers nearly caught in the blast. However, none of them were injured.

"Thanks, Commander..." Pinkobashi congratulated his commanding officer.

"Don't mention it...keep moving...we detected a small hangar on radar...blow it all up..."

"Understood..."

The swordfish and the puffball kept hopping toward the hangar and heading for the planes.

Splash and Pinkobashi came across a hangar of Bronto Burt aircraft about to take off. They fired off five lightbulb explosives at once, tearing apart the inactive planes and killing the pilots and enemy personnel. They dodged the oncoming machine gun fire of the Waddle Dee trooper stationed to guard the sector, blowing away the soldiers and knocking them against the wall from the powerful concussive force of the blasts. The hangar was utterly leveled in less than five minutes, with all the explosions devastating the interior of the enemy base.

"The hangar has been destroyed..."

"Good...there has to be a captain inside...eliminate him..."

"Got it..."

They soon found themselves in a room where they came face with a giant black Gordo with an intimidating expression in his eyes. Being known as Captain Stitch really made it clear.

"What the hell!? We can't damage it!"

The creature pushed its spikes back and launched the projectiles straight at them, colliding against the wall. His eyes looked surprised and his mouth was agape. Gordos don't do that.

"Now! That's our chance!" Pinkobashi shouted.

Splash fired off five explosive blasts in quick succession, the lightbulbs pounding right into them and leaving a blinding explosion in their wake with each bulb that connected. Soon, Captain Stitch's visage changed, his mouth closed with his angry eyes shown, and all six spikes grew back as good as new. The old metallic spikes seemingly disappeared out of sight. Once the creature fired off his spikes again, Pinkobashi and Splash fired three more off in this second round, with Splash getting his lightbulb directly touching its skin for maximum impact. As soon as Captain Stitch hardened himself again, he charged right against the other side of the room, trying to crush them into the wall and impale them immediately, but the fish jumped. By colliding into the wall, he lost his spikes, and thereby immediately lost his defenses. That was the only opening his opponents had to strike. After three more blasts, Captain Stitch was out of commission, falling on the ground ready for Splash to fire one more exploding lightbulb.

The defrocked Gordo detonated with a punishing final explosion that echoed around the base.

"Yeah! He was nothing!" Splash observed.

"Let's keep moving...enemy captain has been eliminated..." He notified Alexander of the news.

"Excellent..."

They soon found themselves on the other side of the hangar, where the horrific winds were picking up. It was oddly snowing, yet the winds were in their favor, seemingly pushing them forward through the hell. Enemies were running all around. More enemy contacts were in sight. Pinkobashi and Splash kept hopping through the snowy winds, leaping over Gordos and erasing Waddle Dee soldiers and machine gunners out of existence whenever they came in range. Both of them together were a force to be reckoned with. After a few minutes of engaging in combat, they swam through an underwater chasm, encountering several Blippers and Glunks along the way. They jumped up out of the water onto a series of large pipes expelling high volumes of air, out from where the intimidating Eileel occasionally showed their ugly faces. The Eileel did not see the explosives coming, the impact lowing them away and launching them out of their pipes. They jumped on the expelled air from the pipe near a crevice, allowing them to jump to a higher floor. Scarfies that were blocked by some doors were incinerated immediately. A small hastily erected barrier was leveled in a few coordinated blasts by the lightbulb explosives, paving the way for the liberation of the sector from tight enemy control. With the DeDenidean forces cut off from the sector, only the main base itself was isolated. Both Pinkobashi and Splash saw the giant reddish military facility in the center of Red Canyon. Pinkobashi smiled with confidence knowing that soon it would all fall before their might.

"Here's Pinkobashi and Splash with an update...the area is secure...all hostiles have been eliminated...only the main base stands in our way, Commander...we're awaiting orders..."

"Get rid of that spark copy ability weapon you have for Splash...we recommend using Jim this time...relying on those large explosives in that small area could compromise our success..."

"Jim is good for getting through on the ground...he's definitely faster than Splash out of water."

"We're already almost there...all we need to do is coordinate a strong counteroffensive...we recommend that you infiltrate the base with us and find out what the enemy is up to..."

"Roger that...see you in a bit...Pinkobashi out..." They expelled their copy ability weapon.

Soon the pair came back and coordinated their offensive as the enemy was upping their search efforts. Pinkobashi realized that Isha definitely needed to do some further intel on getting access into the surveillance operations of the unknown area. It seemed that the enemy was definitely housing some kind of large Blood Moon depot inside their main facility. A Crimson Core had to be the power source. They already had excavation crews moving on the premises, yet the progress seemed stalled due to the invasion attempt. Regardless, the whole objective seemed like a suicide mission, as there was no need for backup. Pinkobashi was joking to himself; who in the right mind would brand your commanders such fearsome names as Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright? The facility from the outset was surprisingly well-hidden, blending into the environment to make it look like a part of the scenery. Soon that canvas was about to be burned and destroyed beyond all recognition with the success of the mission. The one thing that Pinkobashi found bright and shining was the demolition of the base at the end.


	14. Chapter 13: A Bright and Shining Death

CHAPTER 13

Red Canyon; Location for a hidden giant enemy base as the location for the headquarters of two leading commanders codenamed Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright. Galaxy Squad has destroyed much of the enemy presence in the surrounding area while searching for the main complex.

Red Canyon, Goergea, 1500 hours

Once Pinkobashi and Splash met up with the team, they were there to discuss their strategy. The pink blur noted that he was on the ropes for the recent incident. Much of the enemy's forces were already significantly weakened. There was probably no hope of receiving backup in the event. His prowess in combat with his rank at corporal second class might still bring him another promotion. He was mesmerized by the strange patterns on the reddish rocks. He had never visited a canyon in his life. There were stories told about learning about the existence of those. They stayed close with their weapons at the ready in the event of a surprise attack. Splash the swordfish stayed behind Pinkobashi while he scanned the terrain for anything out of the ordinary before continuing their movement, minding their steps to avoid any trip wires or pressure sensors that could set off traps or deadly explosives. The main base became more prominent to them as they moved closer to it, appearing like it was a part of a mountain. It looked like the top area, the center of the base. He could see the dim searchlights and towers along with numerous aircraft and at least twelve giant gun emplacements near the building.

The puffball warrior kept thinking about their progress so far as they moved, dreaming of being the one who would bring down another evil empire, getting the hero's welcome he deserved along with his loyal friends. They found Commander Alexander and the rest of the Galaxy Squads group huddled around with their weapons. The main base was only about a few miles away from their location. Alexander gave them the update.

"Alright guys...since we have the right ones who can infiltrate an enemy base...Pinkobashi and Jim will enter the facility and the rest of us will take the battle to the mess outside. We'll follow your lead the more you get inside...the enemy forces are too powerful to handle with..."

"But we need backup..." The gerbil spat back.

"That's where we come in. We'll provide recon. You'll draw their attention to us." The commander reminded the two of them.

Isha gave them more information: "I've hacked into the mainframe of the enemy base and have found the location of one of the Crimson Cores inside a heavily guarded area of the base. This is definitely the power source. I have also found where the two commanders are found. They are at the top of the enemy facility. All you have to do is get inside and clear the area and get the Core. I'll let you know when you get close."

"We get you, Isha."

"Hope you guys are fine after all this is over."

"By the way...did you get a look at the commanders?"

"Negative."

"Sure...Let's go Jim."

"On it!" Pinkobashi loaded his Beam Heavy Machine Gun before he climbed onto Jim's furry back and the two ran off toward the enemy base. The rest of Galaxy Squad followed them near a rock face blocking out one of the searchlights that could not make out their presence.

Ruby stood at the ready with her scope engaged showing the heat layout of the target, counting out how many quick shots she could make out of the enemy troopers before reloading. The alarms were not triggered as they slowed down and headed toward a back entrance to the base, seemingly ignoring the low-flying attack helicopters with their searchlights glowing as they hovered over the canyons. Both of the warriors knew that they were moving. They sauntered past the dozen armed Waddle Dee guards on patrol as they hid behind a parked cargo truck. Attacking or even surprising them one of them would surely set off the alarms and stop the mission dead in its tracks, so they had to take no chances. The gerbil rolled and they got into one of the ducts without surprising the enemy patrols. As they crawled low, they saw the feet from the Waddle Dee soldiers just minding their own business, so they weren't seen. There were no patrols inside, yet there was always an easy way for the base to flood with enemy Waddle Dee troopers in less than a few minutes if the right mistake was made. As soon as they entered, they had received a brief contact from their phone.

"Hey...this is Isha...are you guys alright..."

"Yes...we both made it inside...none of the guards were triggered..."

"Good...all you have to do is get moving up those platforms on the next three floors..."

"Should be easy enough..."

"The electrical readings are off the charts directly above you...Sparkies..."

"We got it..." They could hear the sparking discharges coming from a wisp of green plasma and two roundish hands with black eyes. They jumped up on four platforms encountering one of them each short hop. The range of the shield they produced was short but very dangerous if they came in contact. Pumping one volley of rounds in each of the Sparkies did the trick. Pinkobashi did not decide to suck any of them up and take his power to avoid being shocked himself. If only he did not voluntarily lose his ability that time it would have been much easier.

"Those Sparkies are all gone..." The gerbil remarked as they moved to a deep pool of water.

There was no way to tell how deep they had to go.

"Forgot about the water..." Pinkobashi muttered. Both of them deeply inhaled and jumped in the water. Pinkobashi felt the temperature cool him as they swiftly descended, still holding on to his gerbil friend weighing him down as they kept swimming. He tried not to think about his depleting air supply. Both of them were letting out air bubbles as they tried to stay calm. As the two of them sank to the bottom, they could see a Gordo moving around an unbreakable block and four white Squishies swimming up and down them. Their soulless black eyes and their slimy white skin made all of the cephalopods look foreboding as they kept swimming close to them. Their icky tentacles were about to stick onto them as they pushed through the water. Another Gordo was spinning around a block in a similar manner. They reached the wall and knew from seeing the shallow light that they had to quickly swim up. It felt like they were at least a hundred feet or more deep under. The gerbil quickly kicked his legs to ascend to the surface, narrowly avoiding an angry Blipper that was fast approaching them. Pinkobashi tried to kick at the fish a few seconds before Jim leapt out of the water gasping for air. Pinkobashi pointed up to a wooden platform and jumped up, helping his partner out by pulling the big gerbil up by his right paw. The gerbil jumped on the platform and shook his fur for a few seconds to get as much of the water off as possible. The Blipper jumped out of the water and tried to chase them but failed and fell back in. Both of them could hear the slam of the Blipper's mask as it collided with the wooden platform. They thankfully weren't hit by the fast moving fish. They got out their weapons and jumped up on a few more platforms.

The only thing they had to deal with were a few more Sparkies before finding a pathway with two doors. Pinkobashi blasted the Sparkies with a few rounds of his copy ability weapon before getting on top of the final platform, watching the little sparklets pop like popcorn once they were pelted with burning beam fire. One door was on the left and the other was on the right. They had nowhere to go, so they consulted Isha over the phone whenever possible.

"Can you hear me Isha?"

"Yeah...I got the map up for you..."

"We're probably not close at all..."

"You're cold like the water you just got out of..."

"Are we there yet?"

"The hard part is just there...you'll have to go on to move further up outside the fortress...then the uppermost door should take you to the holding area for the Crimson Core...then you'll jump on the way down to reach where we are..."

"Understood..."

"One more thing...you're going to have to move fast if you want to get out of there alive!"

"Talk to you guys later!"

"Let's take the left door first..." The gerbil pointed out as Pinkobashi and he slowly ventured inside the quarters. They took the left door and found that the room was totally dark. They could barely see a Blipper's body on the floor while there was only one fresh Maxim Tomato on the other side of the room. Jim kicked back the flopping fish against the dark wall on the other side of the room and broke its bones. Strangely enough, the food wasn't in a container. It must have been stored from a soldier's meal from a while ago. Upon gathering the small item and consuming it, they felt stronger than ever after the quick fix. The wounds from their attack by the Waiyu ninja a few hours ago immediately healed. They were at their maximum strength, ready to take on anything the enemy forces threw at them outside.

"Never mind...let's go back..." Jim exited the room and found they were right near a Sparky that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. A surprised Pinkobashi killed it with a single concentrated blast to the head. The other Sparkies that appeared were not handled with.

Once they got outside, the air was incredibly cold since they were on the second floor of the base. He could feel Jim's fur shivering and shaking as he tried to stay still. They were hearing the sounds of harsh DeDenidean languages over the intercoms amid sensors and hovering vehicles several stories above them. They felt the rocks lowering on them, forcing them to not talk and get moving to avoid getting flattened. The rocky surfaces were feeling slippery as they hopped on on four small platforms. A lone Sir Kibble readied to throw a boomerang at them on one side on each platform. Another side was marked by a black Gordo that stayed in place, seemingly placed there as a trap if someone got shot off the base or made the wrong step. Pinkobashi aimed and incapacitated one of the Sir Kibble once he blasted him with his heavy machine gun. He tried not to waste too much time on one enemy, turning around each time he could. They ran from one end of the wall to the other to bound up the next floor. They forgot that they were running on quickly disappearing blocks. The rocky area quickly disappeared under their feet, causing Jim to narrowly slip and fall to their death. A small ramp made them come in contact with a Cappy mercenary hiding underneath a red mushroom disguise, only he was slightly hopping around and giving his presence away, making him a moving target. They jumped up, turned around, and encountered another Cappy mercenary to obliterate. On the next floor, they turned to find a lone Drifter hopping by them, followed by a sliding Pengy determined to bite them. Both were quickly defeated once they came in Pinkobashi's firing range. Jim hopped up another set of platforms and dodged a rocky spike that fell from the top of one of the floors of the canyon, hoping that they were almost there. They saw an aggressive Spiky bear its thorns before jumping and shooting it off the platform.

It was strange to find that there was no need to go in guns blazing as much as they did.

"There it is! The door we need." Jim shouted. The door was closest to the uppermost area of the base. They quickly jumped inside the black door before they were crushed against the ceiling. Jim briefly stopped and caught his breath after all the hard running. The gerbil seemingly ran a whole mile to get up the base and avoid being smashed by the moving environment. Pinkobashi had a few seconds to ponder about what to do next.

"You're really hot, right in the room! The readings are off the charts" Isha shouted with joy as her voice was garbled amongst the cheers of the rest of Galaxy Squad with Sash and Splash.

Pinkobashi and Jim were surrounded by gleaming reflecting crystalline blocks. They were directly underneath a pair of two etched black blocks that had some kind of spark symbol on them. The blocks were strange in their makeup. The puffball tried shooting a round of his beam copy ability weapon, then a charged shot, but the beam attack did nothing. Jim tried using his machine gun to blast the obstacle, but the blocks did not budge an inch, only the bullets slightly ricocheted off the side before stopping dead and rolling on the floor.

"Hey! What gives?!" The pink one fumed at his anger.

"I think you need something to break it..."

"Damn it! We needed to get just one Sparky..."

"I think that's the one you need...wait...Pinkobashi...damn...we've been spotted..."

"Isha?" The noise was distorted in the series of explosions and gunfire.

"It's no use! They need our help!" The gerbil argued.

As soon as they raced for the exit, a large sword slash reverberated across the room, generating a powerful green glow that reflected off the blocks in the entire room. Both of them were easily caught off guard by a strange masked warrior. The assassin readied a spark blast from the tip of the sword weapon, acting like a powerful beam that shattered the blocks into dust. The sword wielder hopped down four crystalline platforms before jumping up two more and claiming the red Crimson Core immediately at the center of the room and tearing the same way back. Pinkobashi and Jim quickly regained their strength and tried to grab the item from them. The warrior disappeared in smoke, completely silent and voiceless, not to be seen again for the rest of their mission. The pink one's skin reddened with anger at the fact that their rightful reward was taken from them. He could hear the screams of Waddle Dee soldiers and loud booming from as the masked warrior ventured down the facility. Pinkobashi panicked and tried to catch up after the assailant but the hope of catching the thief was too far gone for them to pursue their target any further. Pinkobashi could only see a bright flash that vanished in the night.

"Pinkobashi? Are you hurt?!"

"Where the hell are the rest of my unit? The Crimson Core is gone!"

"That doesn't matter right now! We need to get to our team! Now they really need our help!"

"Let's go!" Pinkobashi and Jim ran out of the destroyed room as the alarms sounded. He hoped that it wasn't the self-destruct sequence that activated, but he could hear the sounds of explosions and screams echoing all across the base. He tried his best to ignore the chaos and escape the facility. Pinkobashi landed and swallowed an unshielded Spiky. He felt pink protrusions hiding under his skin all around his body ready to spring out and jab at a moment's notice. Now he had taken the form of a living spike shield. He now became Needle Pinkobashi.

They moved to an open exit where they knew they were about to quickly fall straight down without a parachute. The winds were intense.

"Stay behind me..." Pinkobashi urged his comrade while he jumped and the gerbil followed.

Several star-studded blocks greeted them as a way to break their fall below. As they were falling two Deeparatroopers were gently descending by the wall, but were unable to hit them from afar. Two Rockies were walking inside a series of blocks, unable to fall and crush them for the time being. Pinkobashi activated his ability as soon as he was surrounded, the blocks quickly shattering against the defenses he put up. He could only stay in his form for a few seconds rather than stay temporarily solid like the Stone form, but he had no choice. He was running out of time, imagining all the contingency situations. For all he knew all of his comrades could have died by enemy fire. He could see the approaching fighter planes in the distance heading away from the base. There were no false alarms nor friendly fire incidents at all. He kept imagining that the strange warrior they just encountered must have something to do with it. Nothing was out of the ordinary. His blood was pumping. Jim was taken completely by surprise. Pinkobashi heard the breaking of blocks with ease as he fell onto what looked like a solid cloud cover platform that broke their fall. They did not feel a thing as they landed on their feet, seeing a few enemy Spikeys surround them on both sides without noticing, having no choice but to retreat and cover their tracks in the event that they were caught by an advancing enemy platoon. Pinkobashi kept seeing flashbacks of all of his friends talking with them and socializing while engaging the enemy. Surprisingly, he showed no tears as he readied his copy ability weapon and tightly held down the trigger to ready the weapon's maximum firepower upon making contact with an enemy vehicle. One charged blast would surely blow it to smithereens and total it along with all the drivers and gunners at once. They could feel the booms of oncoming giant Shotzos raining fire in all directions and the blasts from the explosions relentlessly pounding the canyons. There probably was no backup. Perhaps the esteemed Nebula Squad would show up at the last moment, but there was no guarantee. They heard the rolling of tank treads and gunfire two from enemy tanks. Pinkobashi fired his charged shot at an enemy tank rolling up to him, the blast tearing the front end of the war machine to pieces and ripping it to shreds. He charged his weapon and immediately fired at another tank, destroying it along with its complement. Jim argued that the enemy was still moving, for he sensed the smell of oncoming smoke from the dust and the engines of more tanks, but he could not tell how many there were. Perhaps they were still fighting and were still alive. That feeling was confirmed once he finally found his team covering from the blast. They looked weakened and crestfallen as if they had suffered a grievous defeat, yet the battle was still raging over the horizon. He tried his best to hear the shouts of his fellow soldiers in agony and despair. They were all clustered together along the same rocky canyon face. None of them were injured.

"Pinkobashi! You're alright!" The heavy ran out.

"I couldn't get the Crimson Core!"

"Then who in the hell did!?"

"I swear...I don't know..."

"It sure wasn't the enemy!..."

"You're not going to believe this...but we're being followed...by a strange warrior..."

"Damn! They know where we are! They know our location!"

"They've been sending everything our way! I obliterated two of their tanks and a couple of men, but Jim knows they're still coming! It's like they're sending a thousand men right for us!"

"All we have to do is keep moving and find the commanders!"

"I couldn't find them! I searched the high point of the base but found nothing! Thankfully the whole thing didn't collapse on us!" The gerbil nodded in approval.

"It must have been a diversion...I miscalculated...the commanders are found on the lower end of the main base!" Isha corrected herself. "Furthermore, I just detected an extreme heat source coming from the chambers...it's heading this way!"

"Why are we running toward it?" Ruby questioned her judgment.

"We don't have a choice."

"That's just great!"

"The energy levels are off the charts! They're here?!" Isha shouted.

They could hear the blaring alarms. Soon they observed a giant explosion level much of the fortress, with the impact of the swelling burst enveloping the central core and leveling much of the fortress. A series of deafening blasts engulfed the surrounding area, smoking on the canyon. It did not seem out of the ordinary. The reactor core of the base had been tampered with and destroyed in the ensuing confrontation, leading to the deaths of numerous Waddle Dee troops in the aftermath. Much of the base was totalled in the ensuing explosion, forcing the enemy to apparently retreat, but instead the enemy spilled out from all over the compound. Several heavy tanks were rolling up to Galaxy Squad's position along with numerous VTOL fighter jets that had just taken off to join the ground divisions. The animal friends could feel the sounds of the roaring engines as the enemy was approaching.

"Their base is a total wreck! The commanders are still alive!"

"Yeah! Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright! They're bright and shining in hell!"

"Not for long!"

"Get back!"

"Enemy tank and aerial battalion incoming! Stay sharp!" Alexander shouted. There was no way of telling how many units were heading their way. The red valley was surrounded by orange tanks that launched their main cannons in the air at once, sending at least fifty raining anti-tank projectiles crashing on the ground. The members of Galaxy Squad quickly ran from the explosions and opened fire in retaliation. Isha froze the treads of one of the tanks and disabled its movement before entering inside and killing the driver and gunner. She finished it by tossing a high-explosive anti-tank grenade inside the ammunition storage, tearing it apart. Ruby took cover by a destroyed turret and fired two rounds of her Fire Sniper at two enemy soldiers before reserving her anti-tank rounds for the tanks. Jack fired the Spark Rocket Launcher at a column of three tanks, the blast tearing through each of them and causing all three of the heavy tanks to explode one after the other, then smiled with honor. The tanks quickly changed their movement tactics and split up in chasing after them only to be burned when Blaze turned on his Burning Flamethrower to its maximum setting before ripping it on his enemies. The metal beasts were demolished and reduced to disintegrated metallic ash. Alexander was able to charge at a whole company of tanks to rip and tear them to pieces. Each charged slash from his Sword Gun expelled a powerful sword beam that gutted through the toughest of hardened armor and even split flying tank shells in half. When preparing for the supporting enemy infantry moving along the tanks, Ariana shot off at close range with her Cutter Blade Shotgun, eliminating the opposition and totalling a few enemy tanks. The rebounding blades from her shotgun were able to blow up the tanks when she fired at them, pulling them apart into pieces before they were finally destroyed in a large devastating explosion. Jim used his athletic strength to run and hop to avoid the oncoming blasts in the hope of getting them off the back of his comrades, then spray and pray with his machine gun to slow down the tanks. Sash took to the air and opened fire with his chaingun, ripping through the tanks that were launching rockets at him from afar. Splash took to the water and used his anti-tank machine gun to tear through their armor, jumping and rolling to avoid being splattered. Several troopers were being massacred. The Bronto Burt VTOL jets were flying over their position and opening fire at them with their machine guns and rockets. After sustaining heavy fire by Galaxy Squad, the planes were grounded permanently by crashing into the canyon. More giant cannons were launching their devastating bombs against in an attempt to halt the advance of Galaxy Squad, but that did not slow them down. The enemy was sustaining heavy losses, forcing them to deploy their newest trump card.

A massive land carrier that blended in with the canyon lumbered toward their position, deploying more tanks and planes as it opened fire with its many cannons. The thundering war machine, despite being an aircraft carrier built on four titanic treads, was surprisingly mobile. The team was unable to do any noticeable damage to it and had to retreat. After successfully securing the falling base, and driving out Galaxy Squad from the perimeter of the base, they unleashed their two commanders. Directly atop the canyon a powerful flash shone in the distance when the carrier retreated into darkness. The team was confused by the action of the enemy.

"Our machine guns are low on ammo..." Sash argued.

"What the hell?!" Two large shadows fell beside them. These two intimidating shadows of similar size and shape took the form of a sun and crescent moon with arms, legs, and faces. Both were a few times the size of all the warriors present. They were Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright, and they were ready to engage in a glorious battle against their enemies. They landed on the ground. Galaxy Squad could feel the intense heat resonating from the body of the glowing sun. The moon had a particular visage with its cratered look. They held no weapons, for they themselves were the weapon. They not only controlled the time of day, but also the time of victory.

"Alright! The enemy commanders are here! Take em' down!" Alexander shouted to his subordinates. "Open fire!"

BOSS BATTLE!

The sky immediately turned black when the moon jumped in the sky and faded into the night.

The members of Galaxy Squad tried firing their copy ability weapons at the giant sun.

Mr. Bright cupped his hands together that glowed and expelled an extremely powerful flame attack that took the form powerful blast of fiery energy at the enemies, forcing Galaxy Squad to scatter at the sight of what looked like an explosive red ki blast. The blast soared a few feet over the ground but the team jumped out of the way as it flew past them and exploded against a large canyon. Mr. Bright fired another ki blast but shooting it in midair did nothing to set it alight. It was too large to be inhaled much less redirected by any copy ability attack.

"We can't hit them this way!"

"Incoming!" Ariana pointed to the falling stars.

Large unguided stars about the size of puffballs materialized out from nowhere and crashed on the ground before vanishing into nothingness. They jumped and dodged to avoid being hit. Pinkobashi thought he could inhale the stars before they collided with the ground, but should have found a way to detect a pattern. He struggled to find an opening. Numerous giant explosions boomed all over the red canyon. The sun glowed again before inflaming himself and charging headlong at the heavy of the group. Jack rolled out of the way to avoid being burned alive and firing a spark blast which did nothing to the large burning sun. They tried shooting at the giant sun to no avail.

"What the hell are they doing?" Blaze questioned.

"They're making an eclipse!" Isha exclaimed.

The sun jumped back up and floated near the crescent moon. They seemingly lost their faces and arms and legs and resembled a small sun and moon in the distance, creating an eclipse and a small shadow when the moon shrouded over the sun. The whole sky suddenly turned white for a few seconds. Everything outside it was struck by a powerful glow that flew in all directions, sparking the surrounding area. The members of Galaxy Squad and the animal friends instantly were blasted back into the rocks from the damage, seemingly unable to fight and wincing from being dealt a powerful blow. They quickly recovered and kept firing at their target. Only Pinkobashi himself could muster up a strategy while the rest were all moving and opening fire on their targets. The environment suddenly turned to day when the moon entered into the fray. The sun hovered over them and unleashed a powerful glowing blue beam that acted like a giant heat ray, vaporizing anything in its path, searing the ground with a powerful glow. Isha knew her weapon was useless against the wrath of the all encompassing sun, so she ordered her teammates to get out of here and try to figure out another strategy. The moon jumped and spun like a ball in an attempt to roll over and crush them, forcing the team to move back further. The anti-tank rounds from Ruby's Fire Sniper and the Blaze's flamethrower reflected off the moving crescent. They could immediately see a spinning crescent-shaped projectile appear from the moon's left hand and send it spinning in an unguided reaction. Pinkobashi noticed that the sun was leaving some floating stars as an residue, so he swallowed the star and turned to spit it back at Mr. Bright when his back was turned. The pink puffball fired a large charged blast right at the angry crescent, the impact yielding a giant explosion. He only could see the convergence attack happen again. The moon and sun created their eclipse that made a large shadow near their right, immediately running and sliding on the shadow. He tried shooting at them from the shade, the attack doing nothing. Then Mr. Shine entered the fray and the battlefield changed to a dark night. Pinkobashi swallowed up two stars and spat them back right at Mr. Shine. The sun smiled and charged another ki blast before firing it at Ariana, the attack forcing the team to jump and float out of the way. Splash nearly got fried by the blast and felt dehydrated after feeling the water vaporize off of him as the blast travelled past him. Ariana was narrowly hit by the blast but was forced to move by Jack pulling her out of the way. Pinkobashi knew the right way to defeat the commanders and made it clear to all of his comrades in arms.

"Everyone! Just suck up the stars and use it against them!" The pink warrior shouted to them.

"Got it!" Everyone shouted in approval.

"Get under the eclipse when the moon and sun change formation! You can avoid being damaged! That's the only way! Trust me!"

The other five puffballs nodded in approval. At every open moment, they ran for any open stars that the team found laying around the residue from the energy attacks and sucked them up and launched it back at them, not accounting for when the time of day changed at an instant. The sun and moon saw them launching their projectiles and timing their jumps and dodges to miss the flying stars. Mr. Bright jumped and performed his spinning charge attack, but the team quickly realized that their star attacks were unable to register a hit while he was apparently invincible. Once Pinkobashi swallowed two stars and spat it back at Mr. Shine right in his face when he was throwing his crescent projectile at him, the crescent projectile instantly vanished. The moon floated back up into the sky, cracked this time, but unable to descend to the ground to replace his friend Mr. Bright. The night still changed, yet the moon caused the sky to fall. Alexander sucked up a star and fired it at Mr. Bright before trying to fire off a charged sword beam at the sun. The sun readied a charged beam attack, forcing Alexander to jump out of the way and ready for Pinkobashi to get into the opening and fire a charged beam attack. Once the beam connected and yielded a powerful anti-tank sized explosion, the cracked sun floated up to the moon where both collided with each other. A huge explosion was blowing over the sky before vanishing into nothingness as the members of Galaxy Squad watched in awe. Alexander was not surprisingly blinded by staring into the eclipse with his ultra protective sunglasses. The sky turned back to night and all was well, with the enemy DeDenidean forces in swift retreat or surrendering. All of the members looked up to the night sky, watching the comets and twinkling stars over the horizon.

"The enemy is in retreat...they don't have their commanders to guide them..."

"Hooray!" Ariana jumped with joy.

"Their deaths sure are bright and shining!" Blaze remarked as he looked up in the night sky.

Eventually the Galaxy Squad would receive a message of congratulation from high command over the cell phone. Alexander was safe to hear from them again.

"Galaxy Squad...what's your status?..."

"This is Alexander speaking...we're all fine General...the enemy base has been destroyed..."

"Our satellites picked up footage of a powerful explosion following a series of flashes...it looked like the battlefield was changing from night to day and back again every thirty seconds...now it's night again. It's strange."

"Those were the commanders we just killed...Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright."

"I see..."

"We killed both of them, general."

"Yes...congratulations..."

"It looks like the enemy is moving away...we can see a huge group of tank battalions moving away...from the base...it looks unsalvageable..."

"Our satellites have the evidence to back you up on that assertion...Red Canyon is now in our hands now...now finally we can turn the tide of this war..."

"Anything else?"

"We were unable to recover the Crimson Core from the main base..."

"That's a shame...

"Pinkobashi and the rest of our platoon were able to bring down the base easily..." Pinkobashi tried not to speak up again to his superior officers as he did before.

"We have your next mission ready for you..."

"What is it?"

"You'll be taking to the sky for this one..."

"Really?"

"You are all headed to Cloudy Park, the codename for a highly protected airspace near the DeDenidean-Popoland border, effective immediately. Galaxy Squad will be participating in Operation Hidden Rain effective immediately. You'll be flying in with a large fighter, bomber, and carrier complement of at least fifty air fleets to board and ferry troops aboard the newest stealth-equipped flying fortress. The fortress is estimated to be at least ten miles in diameter and bristling with over three hundred point-defense Shotzo guns and two hundred anti-air missile launchers. The fighter complement maxes out at two hundred jets and it can support over 50,000 personnel. It's basically a flying aircraft carrier that is positioned in geosynchronous orbit over a series of highly-fortified bases and listening posts protecting miles of territory. It's very vital to their war effort. Our armies of 100,000 strong are preparing for a massive assault against DeDenidean defenses at roughly 30,000 feet below your location in the hopes of weakening DeDenidea directly and opening a path for our invasion force to break through the border. Once you board the fortress your task will be to have to disable the fortress and bring down its latest superweapon. The weather is still going to be quite rough. It'll be the least of your worries."

"What is our superweapon target?"

"I've heard from Intelligence that the enemy is deploying a massive new experimental weapon, codenamed KRACKO. It's highly dangerous."

"KRACKO?"

"Our battle data indicates that this weapon is a force to be reckoned with. This thing is said to be able to control the weather, we just don't know how. That's where you come in."

"I see..." Pinkobashi instantly had flashbacks upon hearing his supervisor's words clearly. He kept seeing the flashes and lightning mixed with the intense thunderstorms in his duel over the skies of Ukrainon with a deadly weapon that could destroy anything in its path.

"We're paying for a newly equipped carrier plane for you all to board for the next mission."

"Could you do one thing for us?"

"Anything?"

"Let's make sure that the animal team doesn't get captured again."

"We'll bring some of our best men to keep watch, especially when you're fighting the enemy at such a high altitude. Sash will be the best suited for dealing with the winds."

"Good."

"Your nation is very proud of you...this will mark the final front against the DeDenidean army...if you pull this off right you'll all be getting a promotion...and also bring about the end of the war in our favor..."

"Glad to hear...Alexander out..." Alexander ended the call while Pinkobashi and friends busily watched the skies above. Pinkobashi never felt so calm before from seeing the stars and constellations. Several Poponian aircraft were flying over Red Canyon as the enemy was in disarray, blowing the opposition to hell. He hoped that his dream would become a reality. However, his dreams were interrupted by nightmares. The enemy was always a few steps ahead of them. They probably were going to pull out all the stops to beat them, perhaps put them all in a trap or a diversion. He tried not to imagine all of the possible ways that the enemy could stop them from reaching their destination, much less end the mission before it could start. The one thing that always bothered him was the strange masked warrior.

The strange masked warrior, found at least twenty miles away from their location, not only proudly held the Crimson Core but four others as well, gloating to his or her unseen superior.

"I have the fifth one...master."

"Excellent..." The voice responded. What were they planning?


	15. Chapter 14: Lightning over Cloudy Park

CHAPTER 14

Cloudy Park. Highly protected airspace a few hundred miles near the DeDenidean border. Location for a powerful offensive flying fortress with a massive fighter complement that serves as a crucial transportation and refueling station for DeDenidean air forces.

Cloudy Park, Poppyland, 1700 hours.

Pinkobashi kept imagining the storms in his head, feeling all of the insanity come forth as he saw the weather suddenly change its course. He tried to remain calm as the planes around him were wrestling the storms outside. He counted that there were at least one hundred planes flying in unison. Galaxy Squad were all incorporated into a large battalion of fighter pilots under the jurisdiction of the elite Commander Zero of the Poponian Royal Air Brigade, a soldier whose operations have been critical to their success of the war effort over the past four years. Everyone in his division knew that this mission would be the most important sortie of his military career if he pulled it off successfully. The newest floating enemy base was rumored to be invisible to the group, but their radar on board the Poponian carrier planes gave it away for the team. The DeDenideans were experts at jamming radar communications especially with their air defenses. Making it hell for their enemies, they had already developed numerous methods of anticipating the aerial advance well beforehand. They had numerous bases near their position about to be engaged by Poponian ground divisions in a few hours of entering their firing range, yet all of them were on full alert. The intention behind their operation was to infiltrate the aerial security system and wreck their aerial fortification, thereby stopping the enemy from blowing up their infantry from high altitude. To make matters worse, the enemy had already developed anti-satellite weaponry to destroy their spy satellites in space through colliding with them, preventing them from acquiring any intel or coordinating their correspondence between Poponian ground and air forces.

Everything that Galaxy Squad faced seemed like a desperate suicide mission.

"Operation Hidden Rain is a go! Repeat! Operation Hidden Rain is a go! Execute operation!" Commander Zero ordered all of his assigned subordinates.

"All right men! Your task is to search for the target!" The pilots broke from their formations.

"Let's go find ourselves a fortress..." Commander Alexander was watching the planes fly toward the target. He saw that they were all surrounded by clouds and frequent lightning flashes that caused turbulence. The reason why the airspace was called Cloudy Park was because of the incredibly dense cloud cover and fog.

"This is Commander Alexander of Galaxy Squad! We have located the target and have fixed its location on the communications link...it's floating a few miles ahead of the Poppylandian-DeDenidean border...7000 meters and counting..."

"6000...5000...target is now in visible range..."

"We found it...that was easy!" All the Poponians were awed by the size of the thing. The base looked like a highly advanced grey satellite from some sort of science fiction movie. The ship stood in geosynchronous orbit over its protected base sector yet had no other floating structures protecting it. It was outfitted with a series of cannons on all sides. Numerous echoes reverberated all over the base and multiple DeDenidean jets of varying appearances launched out of the bays toward the dark skies to engage the invaders. The fighter jets were clearly built in the likeness of Birdons, while the multi roles were built like Koozers, and the electronic warfare jets were designed after Capsule Js. They zoomed toward their targets and entered their firing range, firing hundreds of rounds of machine guns. Soldiers could see several vapor trails on the ground, but those were really air-to-air rockets. The Poponian air brigades could already detect the explosions from the machine guns and trailing missiles.

"Target sighted..."

"Enemy contacts inbound! Fighters and lots of them!"

"Shift to engage! Open fire!"

"I'm hit! AAAAHHH!" The sound of a dying Poponian pilot lasted over the communications link. The enemy pilots on the other side of the battlefield were reveling in his death as they watched the damaged F-26 burn in midair before it exploded and cracked apart in pieces. One pilot dodged the burning nose that was decapitated by the missile fire.

"Keep firing! Yeah! I got one!" Another pilot shouted from his aircraft window as he watched his recent kill shatter into burning metallic fragments.

"More targets are closing in on our position! Another wave of fighters incoming!"

"How far are we from the target?" Pinkobashi asked.

"5000...4000...3000..." Alexander shouted to the group.

"What do we do?"

"Hold onto something! Increase engine speed to maximum!"

"Are you nuts?! We'll crash!"

"That's just what they need!" They then got a message from their commander.

"Galaxy Squad! You are to board the flying fortress! Is that clear?!"

"Roger that!"

"The guns on the base are opening fire!" The base opened up its anti-air missile pods to fire off dozens of guided rockets trailing at the invading air forces. Some of them dodged, while others weren't so lucky. A series of giant explosions echoed in the skies above. The giant Shotzo anti-air cannons opened fire on the pilots that were flying near the guns. DeDenidean air forces were ready to open fire on the battle. The base had not endured any damage at all.

"That doesn't matter! Ready your weapons men! We don't know what's going on!"

"Concentrate fire on that flying fortress!" One squadron leader notified his squadron.

"The bigger they are...the harder they fall!"

They could hear the sounds of yelling and shouting over the communications link as the battle became more intense. They were getting closer and closer to the base while numerous jets were opening fire on them with their machine guns and rockets. Isha could see three red triangular radar blips traveling behind them. Alexander pulled the flight stick to the right, then immediately to the left, but there was no hope for them to evade the oncoming enemy fire.

"I can't shake em'!"

"Where are the turrets on this thing!"

"Damn! They've been destroyed!" Alexander cried. "We can't use them!"

The machine guns from the enemy jets tore through the armor plating of their carrier plane. The members of Galaxy Squad immediately ducked once they saw a few of the bullets fly through.

"We're losing our armor!"

"I'm not dying like this!" Ruby shouted.

"Thanks for the help!" The commander shouted to the air platoons that successfully blew up the three enemy fighters in a series of death-defying aerial maneuvers.

"Keep moving! We'll cover you!" One of the pilots overhead them.

"They just keep coming!"

Pinkobashi was nearly blinded by the series of devastating explosions in the skies. They still had a mile to go, but their armor level was incredibly low. One more missile and it would be all over. Unfortunately, with more enemy jets in the air, the chance of them being shot out of the sky before they reached the flying fortress was becoming increasingly more likely for them.

The escort fighters were immediately shot down by the anti-air rockets a few seconds later, with the rest of Galaxy Squad horrified by the explosions ripping through the jet engines.

"Damn it! They're right on our tail!" Alexander remarked at one ace pilot locking on target with his missile while the tail of their carrier was smoking.

"We're not going to make it!" Ariana cried.

They could see a strange pink blur zoom through the atmosphere, firing a series of deadly lasers and causing the enemy plane to be set alight. Pinkobashi kept being reminded of his encounter with a masked warrior who flew a mysterious aircraft and how she was able to destroy all those enemy pilots over the skies of Green Greens. Perhaps she got a new salary for helping them with the new mission.

"Good shot, milady!"

"Yeah!" The young one scoffed.

"You're the pride of the Poponians!" She went to contact Galaxy Squad's communications network.

"Hey! It's the Princess! Galaxy Squad! I got you to the designated landing spot! I'm ordered to come in and back you up!"

Blaze could not contain his excitement for having her to serve on their side for the time being.

"Thanks!"

"Nice of a way for her to return! A stunning entrance!"

Alexander reminded his teammates to stay sharp as they could hear the alarms in the base.

"We're 100 meters and counting! Get ready to jump!" In about ten seconds, he gave the order.

As soon as it appeared that they entered some kind of active hangar, they immediately ran and jumped off the rear of the carrier plane as it crashed into a barricade surrounded by many Waddle Dee machine gunners and cannons. They narrowly avoided the bullets.

"Jack! Fire at the plane!" He shouted to Jack, who readied his rocket launcher and aimed directly at the burning aircraft, the spark overriding all the parts and causing it to explode on contact, killing at least twenty-five personnel in a single explosion. Once the smoke was clear, he contacted his superior.

"Commander Zero...we're in..."

"Alright...now that you're in...I forgot to mention that the animal friends have been taken from us again..."

"Damn..."

"We can't provide you the necessary back up..."

"Good..."

They prepared themselves for the approach with their copy ability weapons at the ready. Galaxy Squad was walking forward and got the attention of a Bouncy drone that alerted everyone on the base to possible intruders. Ruby's Fire Sniper disabled the machine with a single bolt to the head, the hit causing it to explode instantly. It did not matter whether the machine was destroyed, yet the enemy was surrounding them from all sides. A second Bouncy activated its weapons system but was destroyed within a few seconds using a similar attack. They could see some chasms near where some of the VTOL aircraft could descend from the hangars, with a few Scarfies floating near the area. The members of Galaxy Squad puffed up and floated over the cold gap and landed softly on the area. Two pilots of Bronto Burt VTOL aircraft were making their approach from the hangars and were nearly out of the chasm until they opened fire on Galaxy Squad with their machine guns, the bullets pounding against the floor and missing them by a few feet. Jack fired a spark blast upward at the plane, the blast tearing the plane apart and causing the residue to be set alight in midair. Pinkobashi readied a charged beam copy ability weapon and launched it at the target to destroy the other plane. Two Poppy Brothers mercenaries joined in the fray and opened fire on them with their machine guns. Alexander fired off a single sword beam, the cut nearly cleaving the enemy in two and leaving gallons of blood spilled on the floor. Ariana fired her cutter ability rounds to slice the other one in seconds. They looked ahead and knew there was another obstacle ahead. They had to float up again and fly through three sets of floating Gordo mines that ascended and descended above the chasm in an unpredictable fashion. They conserved their air by landing on the safe spots in between each area, nearly being blown up by the traps when they were floating carefully to avoid being hurt. After they landed, they all entered into a door to another part of the flying fortress. A few Bronto Burts were flying overhead but not opening fire. They found a Waddle Dee sniper that fired a shot on the ground from a chasm ahead, the surprise shot nearly killing Ariana if she were three feet ahead. Pinkobashi fired a round from the beam heavy machine gun to neutralize the target. When they jumped up to the next platform, Galaxy Squad found a Sir Kibble that was about to fire off his cutter blade until Pinkobashi swallowed the enemy and took his power. A small black Shotzo cannon was turning to fire at them and blow them off the fortress. Pinkobashi immediately saw some star shaped blocks directly underneath the cannon that were vulnerable to his weapon, so he took a risk and quickly threw two boomerangs to cause the cannon to fall into the depths below. They jumped up and floated over another Bouncy drone that Pinkobashi destroyed with his cutter copy ability, throwing a blade that tore through the drone and caused it to explode.

After they landed, they entered another door, where they could still hear the deafening alarms.

The members of Galaxy Squad soon confronted the giant one-eyed umbrella Jumpershoot. The angry umbrella opened itself up and spun around toward them. Pinkobashi threw two cutter blades at the umbrella before firing a charged shot from his copy ability weapon, the explosive attack causing the target to fly back. Jack fired a homing spark at the monster, causing the monster to stagger back from the explosion. The creature jumped up and tossed his enormous shoe at them, the members of Galaxy Squad dodging the attack as it came closer to them and landed, nearly being crushed in the process. Isha tried to freeze the umbrella shut, but it opened up and spun toward them again. Blaze opened his flamethrower and set the hopping umbrella alight for a few seconds. Alexander then joined in for firing a sword beam that knocked the enemy out. The downed enemy was about to blow itself up, when Pinkobashi fired a whip volley of his beam copy ability weapon that caused it to disappear in a fiery explosion. They heard a shaking sound and looked below to find Sash the falcon ruffling inside a white bag. Alexander used his combat knife to tear open the bag.

They were surprised to find another one of the animal friends once again this early on.

"Hey Sash! What a surprise! I didn't expect to see you so early..." Pinkobashi welcomed him.

"Let's go...we'll take to the air!"

"You'll really come in handy in bringing down the enemy planes that are ahead of us!"

"Don't worry! I'll make sure of that!"

"Got it!" Pinkobashi got into Sash's talons and the two took off into the air while the rest of Galaxy Squad stayed below to take watch of any enemy units wanting to shoot Sash down.

When they exited the area while remaining at a low altitude, they came into contact with a flying Bronto Burt aircraft that were closing in on them. Pinkobashi's cutter copy ability could allow Sash to fire off three cutter missiles. Sash fired a volley of his cutter missiles, with one of them making a direct hit through the front of the jet. Another enemy jet was closing in on them from the opposite direction, firing a missile. Sash quickly dodged the trailing rocket and quickly turned around to fire another round and destroy the Bronto Burt aircraft. The two of them collected themselves and flew through the next doorway. They saw a bunch of cloud covers near the platforms. The winds coming from the turbines of the base were pushing the two of them up, they zoomed past the two Sir Kibble troopers that were about to be killed. They avoided two of the Gordo mines that were floating in place by flying through the formation before they reached the top area of the platforms on the floor. They spotted a door blocked off by a few blocks requiring them to use their weapons to blow them up.

"Area is secure!"

"We got it under control! Keep moving! We're right beside you!" Alexander noted as Galaxy Squad joined together at the top and they all breached through the doorway together.

The winds were picking up in strength. Pinkobashi could feel the harsh impact blow against his face with tremendous force as they zoomed past the floating Gordo mines that were hovering nearby. As they ascended, they saw a group of four knights, the cadre comprising an Axe Knight, a Sword Knight, and two massive Mashers ready to throw their weapons. All of them were swiftly destroyed when Isha turned them all into giant ice blocks with her ice copy ability weapon. The pair then came across another hangar area where they could see more Bronto Burt VTOLs taking off from what appeared to be pipes to engage the rest of Galaxy Squad on foot. There were surprisingly few troops in their presence. One of the pilots was delayed in his launch, forcing Sash to fire another cutter blast and blow the jet to smithereens. Sash was hoping for a challenge in facing other aerial enemies, but he still waited for something different. They zoomed through the increasing winds, slipping through the ranges of six more sets of Gordo bombs. Sash likened his movements to that of an acrobat. They landed back inside what looked like a pool of water and entered into the door inside to find that they were underwater. The two of them swiftly pushed through the current and dodged three moving Gordos while they found the other door. There Sash and Pinkobashi confronted the dangerous rock monster Blocky. The creature charged at them with great force, and the two dodged the while the creature landed in the wall and hopped around the room. The creature landed and slammed on the ground, revealing two blocks on both sides for Pinkobashi to swallow. When they took to the air and shot their cutter rounds, the attacks did nothing as the creature's defense was too strong and easily shrugged off the rounds. Pinkobashi knew he had to discard the ability and use his own power. After discarding the usual tactics, the giant monster was hit with three stars from its own rocks. The creature fell to the ground and was hit with a charged blast from Pinkobashi's beam heavy machine gun. The gerbil revealed himself from the open bag and uttered a thank you before running off to join the rest of the gang outside. They found a door past the Gordos under a small base.

They soon found themselves inside a giant forest where the pair faced another large Waiu. Sash narrowly dodged the three projectiles for Pinkobashi to swallow two of the three of them only for the warrior to disappear and flash among the treetops. Once the ninja finished landing, Pinkobashi let him have it. The ninja kicked up into the air and launched another unswallowable fiery star attack that the puffball was unable to avoid. Pinkobashi swallowed another volley and spat it back to knock the ninja out unconscious. Pinkobashi destroyed the ninja by shooting his copy ability weapon at his body. The warriors flew back to the door that appeared following the ninja's defeat. Once they went through the door, they found the exit.

They cleared the area without any sudden surprises.

"Area is secure!" Pinkobashi announced to the rest of Galaxy Squad as they flew northward.

"The enemy must not have their act together!" Sash reminded Pinkobashi as the enemy was upping their aerial patrols and launching more ets into the air. They forgot to realize that the enemy had shot down nearly all of the Poponian fighters that were making their escape.

The falcon and puffball zoomed to a higher level near where there was a large cloud cover.

There they came across another Sparky blocked by a series of star blocks for Pinkobashi to destroy. The group quickly found another small pool for them to enter, only it was deeper than the other entrance. Sash was a good swimmer even though Pinkobashi had barely seen him underwater, able to easily dodge the three floating Sir Slippy frogs that slowly approached them. The fat yellow bellies of the frogs that comprised much of their body weight made the frogs look repulsive especially up close. Pinkobashi was unable to use his ability for the time being, only watch the air bubbles and blow a spout of water from his mouth to pop the frogs should they come too close to them. That only happened twice. A structure of a two by three star-block construction was swiftly annihilated as they entered the other pool. The falcon was able to dodge the rising and falling Gordos floating at a low point. They found a whole bunch of four Sir Slippies swimming by them for Pinkobashi to spray and destroy the frogs right near the surface. The falcon immediately jumped out and shook the water off his feathers for a few seconds to dry off before moving forward. A single Sparky was hopping toward them for them to destroy by Pinkobashi's beam whip, the spark overloading the enemy to the point of death. Once they destroyed the spark creature, the pair found two more Sir Slippies by the door that they quickly killed once they both tried to hop on them and crush them with their fat weight.

Sash and Pinkobashi came across another room that looked like a giant square outline with five layers, the one small square at the center being the doorway. They swiftly descended.

At the bottom of the area, they saw that the members of Galaxy Squad had arrived to deal with the enemies below, a single Drifter and a rabid Spiky. Alexander sliced the one-eyed umbrella in two before it exploded while Gim sprayed a few bullets at the Spiky to kill it. They floated up to break the blocks in order to penetrate the second layer, being careful to avoid surprises. Sash and Pinkobashi quickly took the opposite approach, destroying the star blocks in the next layers to breach the area to only find a Flamer drone that ignited to nearly burn them alive. Sash uses his instincts to dodge the burning drone but it flew through the wall and popped upon impact with Sash's left wing, the damage causing Sash to nearly crash and burn. Perhaps it was a dud, but Sash still felt the excruciating pain as if it actually blew up.

"Sash! Are you alright!?"

"Ow! That hurt! Don't worry! I think I can take five more hits before I'm out for good!"

Pinkobashi could strangely feel as if he were in the same situation as Sash.

They ended up on the top floor of an area where they had to go down to reach the next door.

A Sparky showed up for Pinkobashi to inhale and acquire its essence by swallowing it whole. Pinkobashi had the spark ability equipped with Sash to rain down powerful lightning bolts that could fry any enemies that touched it. Pinkobashi could fry himself black, but he felt no pain.

They quickly discovered that some of the white blocks were small clouds that could disappear once landed on like platforms. The other star blocks interspersed were easily destroyed.

Pinkobashi picked off a lumbering Rocky that was walking right in range of the copy ability attack. Even the hardened warrior vanished from sight once he was fried beyond recognition.

"Death from above!" Pinkobashi shouted as he readied the spark attack, raining down an electric bolt that incinerated much of the blocks in a short range. They cleared the way and flew down into a part of the room with more space. Pinkobashi was horrified as he saw four floating mummified disembodied heads with one spooky yellow eye glaring out from its bandages. The Mumbies were quite revolting in their appearances.

"Mumbies! Shit!" Pinkobashi blurted.

The Mumbies were slowly floating toward them, forcing Sash to fly up for Pinkobashi to fry them down and reduce the mummies to burning ashes one after the other. They would all stay dead, permanently. It seemed strange for the enemy to rely on them. As they descended toward another set of blocks and clouds, they saw a Mumbies floating through the blocks like a ghost, yet one frying attack destroyed the monster instantly. Two more were floating toward them by the time the whole barrier was leveled into nothingness, yet the mummified heads had no way of defending themselves from the storm of two lightning strikes in two different areas. Pinkobashi and Sash quickly found a bunch of Sir Slippies blocked off by many star blocks that made the large orange frogs totally defenseless from the thunder move.

Pinkobashi from his point of view could see three more Mumbies materializing out of thin air for Sash to strike down. The puffball could watch as the horrific bandaged beasts burned. Strangely, the mummies made no howling or moaning sounds, as if they had no mouths at all. Rather than being pushed down to the ground by the strike, the body disintegrated in midair.

They had to run down a whole square of clouds to trigger the Gordos to move out. While they were doing that, Sash was narrowly struck by one of four falling Sir Slippy frogs. They dodged the falling frogs and fried them when they came in range while the Mumbies were closing in.

They destroyed one of two sets of entryways blocked by three star blocks and cloud covers.

Sash soon slipped through the blocks to find they were trapping themselves in with four Mumbies that were about to come in contact with them. Pinkobashi freaked himself out as they flew up and zapped two Mumbies when they reached for the exit on the other end. Sash and Pinkobashi quickly landed to stop moving before notifying that the area was secure.

"They just keep coming!" Pinkobashi panted in front of Sash as they flew forward. Three spinning Kabus mysteriously appeared in the air and fell to the ground to be zapped by the lightning bombardment attack easily. The two of them quickly flew through the hallway of a base, dodging the giant Shotzo cannons opening fire on them as they made it through.

"Another one!" He shouted to Sash as another one of the Mumbies appeared right in front of them. Pinkobashi keeping his electric state intact for a few seconds could fry the Mumbies into ashes if they touched him or Sash. They were both protected by the spark ability. They flew down then up, frying four more Mumbies in a similar manner. Three more Kabus came into view for them to be easily zapped into oblivion. Sash flew through the Gordo mines without being hurt by the pointed spikes that would easily kill him. They zapped down four more Kabus, missed the fall of one that appeared directly above them, before nearing a door. A spinning Kabu appeared in front of them and nearly collided with them for Alexander to jump down and cleave the monster in two, causing the creature to pop and explode.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome! We have detected that there's another enemy commander inside!"

"We got it!"

When they entered they found a black giant Gordo with an intimidating expression on its face.

They knew it to be Captain Stitch. The monster charged toward them and failed to anticipate their dodge. The sad Gordo lacked his eight spiky defenses to protect him. Now the falcon and pink puffball were directly above the large Gordo without much room between them and the large enemy below.

"Now!" Pinkobashi ordered him. They zapped the beast for at least seven seconds before Captain Stitch changed to his usual self and tried to flatten Sash. The falcon quickly dodged. The Captain nearly hurt Sash when he launched his eight spikes as soon as he landed, once again leaving him defenseless for a few seconds. Pinkobashi did not remind him again. Sash knew the predictable pattern. He threw his spiked defenses at them and then jumped and threw his spikes again, with Captain Stitch unable to move when he was shocked to death. A large explosion from the last bolt of lightning knocked the giant Gordo out of commission. Once Captain Stitch was defeated, the death of the monster revealing the exit to another area, the team could notice that they found Splash the swordfish flopping inside a white bag.

The members of Galaxy Squad quickly entered in with Pinkobashi to provide backup.

"You're alright, Spash!" Sash flew close to Splash to find that he wasn't injured.

"Pinkobashi and I will keep moving!"

"Let's go!" They zoomed through the exit area and soon found themselves in a corridor surrounded by a large cloud that overtook them, carefully dodging the sets of Gordos, before reaching an area where the winds were a lot stronger, pushing them upward toward a higher section of the base. Pinkobashi swallowed a Flamer drone when it wasn't burning to achieve the burning ability that could also cause Sash and Pinkobashi to envelop themselves in a fiery shield that could incinerate anything that came in their way. They blasted through the piles of star blocks on their way up, burning Spikys, Rockies, Sparkies, and Sir Kibbles that were wandering inside the barricades. The two of them left no trace but burning flames in flight.

"The area is secure!" Pinkobashi alerted his teammates below as they flew through what looked like a large maze of vanishing clouds among a series of enemies. The puffball swallowed a Sparky to zap any enemies that came near them while the falcon raced to the top of the area. They were surprised to have encountered five Bouncy drones that just activated their defenses. Sash quickly flew over them for Pinkobashi to zap them from above when they were out of range of their guns. A single zap destroyed their engines and blew up their skeletons, blasting the scout machines to charred scrap heaps in seconds. Once they entered the door, they found themselves almost outside the perimeter where the cold winds suddenly picked up again. Sash was able to fly against the storm, dodging the Bronto Burt jets that detected them. Pinkobashi time his lighting attack once it was under them, the blast splitting the jet in two and the spark blowing the plane into pieces before the pilot reacted.

More planes were zooming toward Sash and able to get a lock on them. They flew low to dodge the oncoming missiles from the VTOLs to pick off two Waddle Dee infantry soldiers that were shooting at them with an anti-aircraft gun. Two thunderbolts disintegrated both of them.

Pinkobashi and Sash could see Galaxy Squad along with the other animal friends in tow, downing more enemy VTOL aircraft as they reached the door along with them. They came into another area where five black doorways suddenly appeared above them.

"Galaxy Squad! Split up!" Alexander ordered his subordinates as he loaded his pistol.

Pinkobashi and Alexander joined up and took the second to last door on the left. All they found was five bottles of DeDenidean Pep Brew and what looked like a door with three stars above it. Once the rest of the team reported their status of what they found over the intercom. Ariana and Blaze came across five floating Mumbies. Jack and Splash found five Propellers which gave them trouble but they all were easily destroyed. Jim and Sash collected five stars. Ruby and Isha encountered five Scarfies that they both slaughtered easily. The challenges were easily surmounted and no match for the combat skills of Galaxy Squad. The outlook of their control over the enemy occupied area was clear. They were nearing the highest point. Alexander readied his phone to link up with the Poponian air force over the communications network.

"Commander Zero...damn...no answer!" The commander grunted. "Communications are down again!"

"We're the only ones up here!" Blaze lamented. It was hopeless to try to contact him again. Their important mission was yet to be completed. Isha was chilled by the foreboding weather, huddling close to Ruby for warmth. Isha was shaken and stirred by the thunder.

"Don't worry! We're almost there!" Pinkobashi pointed toward the central hub of the base itself. At this point, the base was already bolstering their defenses. They could see more moving tanks on rising elevators and jets bolting above the massive Shotzo anti-air cannons.

The animal friends all felt the dark clouds surrounding them, but stayed close for protection. Galaxy Squad could hear the deafening sounds of propellers and jet engines welcoming them. When they looked up, they could see many Bronto Burt VTOLs, Birdon multi roles, bomber jets, and carriers in a tight formation. There were perhaps two hundred DeDenidean planes flying directly over them, mustering even more aerial units to defend the flying fortress in a few hours than the Poponians could possibly attack within a period of several months. The puffballs were unable to bring it down, yet the payload they brought with them could still possibly turn the tide of the war. The enemy had reclaimed the skies over the border once again. All they could see was a massive dark shadow forming directly over the planes, with each lightning strike revealing what looked like a giant hellish eye. The clouds were darkening while the skies flashed for a brief second. A storm was coming, but it was not an ordinary one.


	16. Chapter 15: Krackoing Thunder

CHAPTER 15

Unknown DeDenidean flying fortress. Located over a highly protected airspace vital to DeDenidean security. Has only suffered minor hull damage from a failed enemy air raid.

Cloudy Park, Poppyland, 2000 hours

The surrounding environment was becoming more dire for Pinkobashi and his loyal compatriots especially with all the bleak weather. The swirling hostile winds were blowing at the members of Galaxy Squad with tremendous ferocity, forcing them to hold onto something occasionally. The constant presence of clouds surrounding them nearly made them lose their way in the thick white mist that could not have eluded even Ruby's scope on her sniper. It seemed somewhat strange that all the planes in the air were unaffected by the storm. Their airborne communications were jammed, with no way for Galaxy Squad to reach out to Commander Zero or update the progress of their objective. The frequent cracks of lightning and booming thunder made them lose their concentration for a brief second. The mighty deluge of rain was ferocious, pounding them with great pressure. Oddly enough, it seemed welcoming. Under the heavens, the situation was not so excellent either. Pinkobashi stuck close to Sash, for they developed a fierce bond. This mission would serve as another excellent opportunity to test their strength in combat once again. The pink blur pointed out an imposing grey structure that looked like a tower in the center of the flying fortress, reckoning that it must be the main control apparatus. After that structure was presumably destroyed, the rest would crumble, and the war would soon be over. However, there was no need for Galaxy Squad to remain optimistic. They imagined the imperious King D6 scrutinizing their actions and calculating their every move, ready to draw all of Galaxy Squad into another trap and catch them off guard with the perfect strategy. Any way of operating with recklessness would be tantamount to suicide, especially at this critical juncture in this phase of Operation Hard Rain. They knew how their enemy was operating by this point. The weak would be washed away in the turbulence while the strong would attain their well-deserved glory. There were no signs of the presence of the elusive KRACKO prototype, yet the members of Galaxy Squad assumed that it was heading their way and ready to deploy against the test subjects. Everything was operated on by a hunch and a rumor regarding its real capacity for destruction on a wide scale. Nothing could presumably counter the weapon. They felt that anything they threw at it could be annihilated by its manipulation of the weather to its own ends. Ruby foresaw the annihilation of several major cities within a few hours of its deployment and the complete devastation of the armies of entire nations within days. The range in potential casualties calculated by Isha ranged in the tens of millions, yet even with the margin of error, was fairly accurate. The Poponian military would lose all the progress it gained since the major victory at Green Greens. The planet itself would be scarred by the widespread ruination. Combined with the massive aerial war machine produced by numerous DeDenidean munitions factories situated along its border with occupied Poppyland, the rogue nation would be utterly unstoppable. It was clear to the members of Galaxy Squad that they had to act hard and fast. Operation Hidden Rain was the last chance they had to do any considerable damage.

Isha calculated that the odds still held in their favor, but it would not be absolute. They were unable to see what was going on from their side of the battlefield due to the frequent atmospheric disturbances. She tried to remain calm in the midst of the dire situation.

"I have determined from the location on the base's map that there is one more critical area before the main control system can be breached..." Isha made it clear to the other members of Galaxy Squad as they readied their weapons for another ensuing enemy engagement.

"Excellent...I'm intrigued by your findings, Isha. I'm looking forward to seeing this whole thing we're standing on going up in smoke." Alexander reckoned.

"Alexander...I warn you that it will not be easy."

"That is perfectly clear to me..."

"Galaxy Squad...this is the situation...we need Pinkobashi and Sash to provide air support for any enemy jets that detect us on radar and eliminate any hostiles."

"We get you, sir!" The rest of Galaxy Squad agreed and they headed toward the area. As they moved forward, there were strangely no enemy contacts as of yet. Blaze knew that they were devising something big in preparation, perhaps a massive army on the other side of the area.

Sash was the right choice for him to overcome the numerous rough winds blowing ahead.

Once Sash and Pinkobashi flew over the brownish colored ground of the flying base, they came into contact with a strange jellyfish. Sash was visibly freaked out by its gargantuan size and its multiple tentacles with several electrical sparks travelling up and down its bulbous head. The Master Green scrutinized its targets before skidding on the ground and springing into action. The jellyfish stayed still and created a spark shield around its body, causing sparks to surround, forcing the members to not get too close and avoid being fried. Jim opened fire with his machine rifle, spraying bullets that pierced the thick hide of the creature but still damaged the creature Pinkobashi fired a single charge shot from his copy ability weapon that created a powerful explosive shot. Ruby fired her Fire Sniper directly at its head, the attack briefly knocking them back. The creature jumped into the air and generated a spinning star to toss it at the group, forcing all the members to jump out of the way. Pinkobashi swallowed the star before it impacted the ground and spat it back at the creature. Isha tried to freeze the oncoming projectiles but that did not work, so she resorted to using her ranged icicle attacks that tore through its skin with ease. Ariana fired her cutter blades from her Cutter Blade Shotgun to fly under the electric bolts at Once the creature landed and fired two lightning projectiles in the air, Alexander rushed to their aid and readied a powerful slash from his sword copy ability weapon that yielded great damage, yielding a powerful explosion that turned the jellyfish over on its head and made it fall to the ground. The sparks no longer trailed around its gelatinous body. Soon Master Green was ready to start sparking up, ready to sacrifice itself. Pinkobashi fired a single beam whip that disintegrated the giant jellyfish. A small explosion still rebounded throughout the room that did not cause any damage. They sighed with relief when a door leading through a dark hallway mysteriously opened.

After defeating the Master Green, the group entered an area that resembled a box-like room held up by columns with nothing inside except a dark black block under an open white bag.

"So that's how you animals get captured?" Pinkobashi reckoned. "The bag is quite tight. You just cannot resist."

"Indeed..." Sash responded. "It's, how you say, tough, yet we don't suffocate inside it."

"Such barbaric treatment!" Isha sputtered.

"I'll say!" The swordfish responded.

"We are unable to break the chains ourselves, so they deactivate when the traps are no longer in effect..." The gerbil joined in.

"That's odd! You never told us about how you all get caught so easily!" Jack quipped.

"We are unable to resist the bind. It's that simple! We have somewhere to go!"

"Are they ever interrogating you? The enemy must want you for something!" Blaze asked.

"They don't need to do it...they know everything about us!"

"That's strange..."

The winds along the cloud cover were picking up through the base and pushing the members of Galaxy Squad through the area, alerting them to the wandering groups of Poppy Brothers mercenaries that readied their various weapons. Three of them immediately opened fire. The shells of assault rifles could be seen zipping over their heads when they ducked.

"We've got company, men! Open fire!" Alexander growled to his supporters. The enemy moved close on to their position in a plan to overwhelm them, the perfect time to strike. However, the members of Galaxy Squad made quick work of them just like the regulars. Ariana opened fire with her cutter ability rounds on the enemy forces to eviscerate the first one to pieces. The other two were torn by Ruby's sniper round picking them off one by one. It was strange that they did not call for backup. They quickly descended the base and encountered another trio of Poppy Brothers that tossed their frag grenades at them. Blaze picked up one of the active bombs and lobbed it back at them, only to find that he missed, before he unleashed his powerful Burning Flamethrower to incinerate two of them alive. The enemy was no match for a warrior like him. Isha froze one of the Poppy Brothers alive and kicked back the ice cube into the other, knocking him out. Once Jack landed on the lower level, he fired a spark blast that tore through the unwelcome hirelings in seconds. They broke through one of the areas to find a large brown Rocky lumber toward them.

"Rocky at 12 o'clock!" Pinkobashi shouted as he charged and launched a powerful blast of energy that shattered the hardened Rocky into small pieces of rubble and left a small cloud of dust. They quickly slipped through and rolled under the Gordo that was floating a few feet above them. The cloud block beneath them vanished, and they found themselves right near a pool of water. There was no way to tell how deep the area would go. It was strange for a flying fortress to have a pool full of water inside it so high up in the clouds. The team thought it was for some kind of reactor coolant. It was also strange to have large frogs breeding inside it.

"Alright, men...underwater ops...let's go." The commander reminded the rest of the squad.

The team returned their copy ability weapons in their backpacks and prepared to dive in. They all deeply inhaled and swam down into the pool following the big splash. Pinkobashi was the last to jump in the water. A single Sir Slippy swam toward the soldiers. Alexander sprayed some water at the fat frog to implode it. They swam up and followed the Glunk that was spurting at them. Alexander found a black doorway below and the others quickly followed him. One bothersome Sir Slippy that followed close to them was quickly sprayed. The tunnel became even deeper and more expansive to the point that it resembled a large maze. All the walls had a strange wavy pattern designed around it, while the obstacles in front of them had a checkered pattern. Pinkobashi kept thinking of a possible exit as his team swam past a Sir Slippy that did not notice their movement. Isha eyed an open space for them to swim up and dodge more of the frogs. Two Sir Slippies that were swimming next to each other at the bottom of a passage were swiftly dispatched by the water spout attacks of the puffballs. The Sir Slippies were not much of a nuisance underwater as they were on land. Pinkobashi's air supply was quickly escaping him. They quickly swam through another door to avoid the Sir Slippy that was right next to the door. Once they frantically swam through the other side, they found some kind of air pocket. Pinkobashi held on tight as Sash flapped through the waves to come soaring out of the water into the air like a missile. The wind was seemingly pushing all of the team upward, with Sash being the only one able to fly against the wind moving toward him. They flew above the water just as two Gordos moved away from the opening space. The rest of the team had to time their flight. easily. The falcon and puffball climbed through the treacherous skies, surrounded by multiple enemies making their approach on them, barely realizing that they were closer than ever. Numerous Deeparatroopers falling on Drifter parasols were descending onto the fortress, along with multiple Bronto Burt VTOL jets hovering at a high altitude. Four inactive Parachutes were dozing away, unable to wake up and angrily collide with them in midair. The pair reached close to what looked like a cloud cover where the wind stopped pushing them upward and dodged the approach of an incoming Burt jet. All of Galaxy Squad quickly puffed up and reached the top area, avoiding the chance of being shot at just like Sash and Pinkobashi. They all landed softly on a platform near the edge and entered a final doorway marked by three glowing stars on top of it. They were quite surprised to find that they were able to successfully evade their opponents. The many flying ships of death were getting closer to their position, but unable to reach them or get a lock.

"The final sector has been cleared..."

"Now all we have left is the main control room..." Isha shushed them as she spotted two Waddle Dee elite guards armed with heavy chainguns. Alexander and Jack snuck behind them and wrestled them to the ground before slicing them to death with their sword copy ability weapon. Pinkobashi readied a charged blast that annihilated the door and devastated the surrounding area with a mighty thundering explosion. The guards' bodies had both vanished in the fiery blast, unable to even flinch. The alarms were not surprisingly activated once the heavy door exploded and fell down flat on the floor.

"Let's move!" Alexander shouted as he jumped and sliced off one of the security cameras. They quickly encountered a giant computer in the center of the room, followed by numerous other complex machines surrounding the central unit in the middle along with multiple screens. The screen showed a map of the surrounding enemy squadrons in the air and the active weapons system on board the flying fortress. Each one of the cannons and rockets were fully intact, along with the fighter bays wholly undamaged. All of the members of Galaxy Squad were trained to read and listen to the DeDenidean communications networks, and it was very clear to them through Isha hacking into the battle network that they had the plans. Time was of the essence.

"Isha...what is it?" Pinkobashi asked Isha as she jacked in some kind of flash drive to jack in with the computer mainframe. Within a few minutes, all the classified data was transferred.

"I finally found out the purpose of this base..."

"It's pretty obvious...it's positioned in a geosynchronous orbit directly over the enemy lines...I've brought down one of these similar things a few years ago...They must have built one to rival the one DeDessian flying fortress over Ukrainon...it's armed to the hilt, but it definitely has the same weaknesses. I'm surprised the enemy isn't putting up much of a fight."

"You're not going to like this one bit...the test procedure for the KRACKO unit is scheduled here to take place directly over the very area we are standing over in ten minutes...it's an advanced prototype..."

"Right..." Alexander agreed.

"The scientists must not have had any moral qualms in unleashing their project..."

"It's classified...everything is so damn important to them!" Jack reckoned.

"The only way to destroy all of those enemy forces is to drop it directly on them..."

"This whole fortress is going to be turned into a weapon!" Blaze was delighted.

"All we have to do is set the charges and get out of here...destroy everything...do it!" They shattered and smashed all the controls and sensors to the point that one of the sparks caused the room to nearly implode and destroy the whole room with all of them in it. They rigged to destroy a giant armory full of a cache of explosive weapons directly next to them.

"Now! The main reactor is directly underneath this very room! Blow it up!" Isha shouted to her friends as they covered the central area at various critical points.

Jack fired a series of spark blasts one after the other at a chamber, the blasts crashing against the hardened shield protecting the reactor yielding a powerful explosion that engulfed a tenth of the base. The massive explosion gave the enemy the impression that there was some kind of technical failure in the engine room rather than an act of deliberate sabotage by the Poponian military, but even with the security cameras destroyed, there was no way to assess the damage as an accident. It looked from the point of view that the massive base was falling apart, but was still not falling onto the enemy forces several thousands of feet below. A sudden flash of a great lighting bolt ripped right through an open area, overriding the core.

"Excellent job!"

"Anything for you, lass!"

"The coolant has been damaged. Core temperature rising. The reactor is overheating! The last thing we have to do is to destroy the KRACKO unit before it can become fully operational! Hurry! We don't have much time!" she warned the rest of her friends.

"The intensity of the storm is ripping through the fortress! It's catching us off course!" Ariana warned as she struggled to push herself through the storm.

"What the hell?!" Pinkobashi shouted over the horrific winds.

They ran to the massive pinnacle of the fortress itself. A giant malevolent shadow overcast the entire fortress once they reached the final point. All of Destined Providence could expect to see the massive fleet of enemy aircraft floating over the clouds in formation, but the planes no longer were present in the air. A massive cloud structure immediately appeared in the way to the point that they could walk on it. A massive wind blew through the area, followed by a series of lightning strikes that tore a giant crater a few feet near them. A flurry of blinding sparks and flashes devastated the skies until a giant burst created an opening for something wretched to appear behind the thick white clouds. The shadow hovered and wooshed below them without creating a sound. A sudden bright flash of lightning and thunder invited Galaxy Squad and their animal allies to the hell that was about to be unleashed.

BOSS BATTLE!

Directly underneath the clouds that Galaxy Squad was standing on, a white eye immediately popped out, watching them from behind, before retreating into the white cloud. It then glowed and fired a powerful blast of electric energy energy at them. It then fired another blast, then another before retreating again and popping out on another end of the cloud. The creature looked menacing with its glaring eye always watching them from afar. It then appeared, with Galaxy Squad noticing, before it fired a chain of beams directly from its eye as the creature came close to them. Pinkobashi immediately charged and fired a powerful electric blast directly at the creature, the impact causing its eye to spin around as if it were knocked out.

"Good hit, lad!" Pinkobashi was congratulated by Jack.

More protrusions were spotted as the Kracko unit was chasing them, forcing Galaxy Squad to run before the eye jumped out of the cloud and hovered a few meters directly above them. Four small white floating orbs spun around the large cyclopean eye. The single iris of the creature was colored a sky blue that prominently stared inward. The eye peered at them with a devilish look and stared into their souls. The eye glowed and sparked before discharging an explosive lightning bolt that seared into the ground like a laser before the ensuing blast erupted. Much of Galaxy Squad was taken aback by the sudden move, but they were all still able to fight. The premature form of the KRACKO showed itself and continued its attack.

The eye took to the air and tried to annihilate them from above. Even if it appeared small, it was incredibly agile. Jack fired his homing spark, but the creature gracefully zoomed over it. Jim chucked one of his frag grenades at the target as hard as he could, but the Kracko dodged the strong blast. Splash tried flopping to safety to find a good firing point, but he needed to stay behind for cover. Sash tried to draw its fire by taking to the air and getting it into their firing range, but it was unable to be an effective plan of action. Ariana fired a volley of her cutter blades when it flew down to try and zap them, but none of them touched. Ruby tried sniping it, but the flying enemy was too fast and she missed, her one shot zipping through the eye. Alexander's sword beams were unable to hit it. Blaze's flamethrower was too weak to reach the enemy when it descended. The creature launched its spinning four orbs as projectiles that sparked and zapped. The members of Galaxy Squad quickly dodged the attack once it collided with the cloud they were standing on and exploded. Jack fired his homing spark directly up at the naked iris but the iris fell into the cloud formation. Two small little clouds with a single eye in their centers floated up and tried to run into the members. The sinister floating creatures were given the name of Co-Krackos, for they attacked in tandem. Pinkobashi successfully inhaled one, while Alexander inhaled the other. The Kracko eye popped out again from the cloud and was open to attack from any area. Isha and Blaze were kept at close range and used their copy ability weapons. Jack fired a spark blast at the Kracko, seemingly stunning it for a second as it kept moving. Alexander and Pinkobashi spat back the Co-Krackos as stars to collide into the creature with great impact, the last registered hit yielding a great explosion. The single eye rolled on the ground, leaving a small trail of puffy smoke. Galaxy Squad knew that the weakened Kracko Jr. was history, but they were wrong. It quickly launched itself back in the air, with its orbs reforming and spinning faster than before.

"What the hell?!" A shocked Jack was at a loss of words. Few were shaken and stirred as much as the animals. "What is it doing?"

"It's reforming..." Pinkobashi noted as they all looked up to the eye in the sky. Only this time, the creature would be much more dangerous. The orbs spun and a large cumulus cloud cover formed directly over the eye. Twelve spikes immediately formed out of the shape of the enormous cloud. It now reached its second and final form, a fully mature Kracko. The monster slowly hovered toward them, a massive shadow encroaching over the darkened clouds. Two Co-Krackos fashioned themselves into existence and floated toward them at extreme speeds.

"Take it down! Now!" Alexander shouted to his subordinates.

"Sir Yes Sir!" The rest of the team responded.

Ruby pinpointed and fired a burning shot with her Fire Sniper right at the eye, causing it to stall slightly. Pinkobashi and Blaze each quickly inhaled one of the Co-Krackos and jumped to spit it at the Kracko as it hovered down toward them. The giant cloud floated over them and glowed before firing off a series of explosive lightning bolts of pure energy, forcing Galaxy Squad to scatter at the wrath of the almighty thunder beast. Jack fired an explosive homing spark at the creature's eye in the hope of putting it out of its misery, but the blast barely connected and still had a strong yield. Ariana fired a volley of her explosive cutter blade rounds, with one of the blades striking the beast near the eye with a well-placed hit. The Kracko floated up to the middle of the arena and spawned two more Co-Krackos out of the top. The Co-Krackos popped out and flew toward the members of Galaxy Squad. Alexander tried to inhale one of them, but it was too fast, the speed forcing him to dissipate it with a single strike of his sword copy ability weapon. The creature glowed and fired off more lightning beams in random directions. Jack and the animal friends danced around the bolts, barely getting shocked to death themselves. Isha sucked up the Co-Kracko that was on the other side of the battlefield and spat it at the Kracko monster, but the creature flew slightly upward to avoid the attack. The nerd did not underestimate the reflexes of the enemy. Alexander lept in the air and took to the air with Sash to get close for a mighty giga slash attack, but with the strong hit dealt they both nearly shocked themselves in the process. Kracko flew down for another pass, raining down more lightning bolts in quick succession and forcing the puffballs to take aim from a different position. Pinkobashi charged and fired a quick charge shot with his beam copy ability weapon, the hit yielding a powerful explosion. All the running and dodging was starting to wear on him. Isha moved under the cloud to hit it with a few of her icicle projectile attacks and Ariana ran to hit it with a group of cutter projectiles. The creature flew over them and fired more lightning bolts, yet the bolts were homing in on their location as if they were like tracer bullets or heat-seeking missiles, barely zapping them each time. Blaze tried to burn the eye but it was too far away for him for the flame to reach under it.

Pinkobashi fired a beam whip while Jim fired his machine gun at the eye, hurting it slightly. The Kracko summoned two more Co-Krackos that descended on the group. Ruby inhaled one of the small clouds and jumped to spit it back, but the other Co-Kracko flew in the way, negating the hit. She had no choice but to fire a burning shot at the giant cloud's angry eye. The Kracko returned to the middle of the cloud that Galaxy Squad was standing on and fired more lightning blasts from left to right, with the members of the team dodging at shooting it. Jack fired a homing spark at the eye when it stayed still, the strike creating a great explosion. Alexander jumped and readied a powerful giga slash that generated a thunderous blast. It looked to the team that the creature was briefly stunned, but it still kept moving. The Kracko launched off two more Co-Krackos for Pinkobashi to inhale them both and fire back as one large star, the hit colliding into the beast's eye with great force. Pinkobashi readied for the Kracko floating over them and spawning one more set of Co-Krackos after them. With two final Co-Krackos returned to sender, the giant one-eyed cloud creature immediately disintegrated. All of Galaxy Squad watched the powerful glow of the fiery blast and the booming thunder of the ensuing mach front that ripped through the skies. The glowing rose disappeared and was stifled by the sullied environment. Everything dissipated in the radius of the explosion when the thunder god Kracko no longer existed. With the slaying of the angry god, his kingdom was tearing apart at the seams. The anarchy of the mighty storm kept tearing through as the DeDenidean flying fortress was losing its altitude. Numerous planes were zipping through the chaos, failing to regroup with the remnants of the base personnel.

All of the team members reloaded their weapons in anticipation of more sudden threats.

"Excellent...the KRACKO Unit is no more!" Alexander celebrated his victory.

"I knew you could do it, lad!" Jack shook Pinkobashi's arm. "We all did!"

Thunder and frequent lightning strikes tore through the shattered foundations. Galaxy Squad quickly zipped through the corridors as they hastily cobbled together an escape route, running through the hallways while always staying alert for a surprise attack at any moment. Fires were spreading all around the base, with the team quickly outrunning the explosions. They all approached what looked like a ruined hangar where there were no enemy reinforcements.

"Isha...status report..." Alexander advised her over the blaring alarms and shrieking booms.

"Not good...we're about three minutes to impact..."

"Three minutes?!"

"Where's the best place for a high-altitude jump?"

"Anywhere...but I found the best spot on the map! Follow me!" They all followed the techie.

"It's now or never!" Ruby contemplated as she eyed the timer on Isha's electronic clock.

"Our chances of surviving the drop, much less the explosion, are less than one percent!" Isha spouted as the winds howled all around the facility. She found no hope in praying. All she had to worry about was the timing and precision of the jump. Everything had to be on the mark.

"We're almost there!" She reminded them as they ran to the edge of the fortress on the outside. They could hear the loud sounds of destroyed enemy planes being smashed against the walls of the destroyed hangars. Numerous bloodied Dee corpses littered the premises. The pinnacle of the flying fortress was rapidly fragmenting in the horrific maelstrom of death. They collected themselves before getting ready for the highest altitude jump ever performed. Each of them put their weapons away and did a quick series of stretches. Gravity would do the rest for them. There was only one thing left.

"One...two...three...go go go!" Alexander ordered as they slipped into the clouds undetected. Alexander was the first to make the jump, followed by Jack, Blaze, Ruby, Isha, Ariana, Sash, Jim, Splash, and Pinkobashi. The winds were blowing through the air, pounding against the extreme area. Pinkobashi welcomed the chilly embrace as he watched the lightning and thunder pound in his mind as the burning flying fortress fell to the ground below. Once the clouds were no longer blocking their view of the dark skies, they could spot a massive series of enemy bases linked together. Numerous enemy planes and helicopters were flying away. Everything was ready for departure, the premises swiftly being evacuated. It seemed they were freely falling over enemy airspace for about a minute when they all puffed up. Splash and Jim were able to firmly hold onto the legs of Blaze and Jack respectively a few seconds after the impact of the winds were too dangerous to keep them from flying alone. Pinkobashi was the last to see a bright red light grow larger and larger as a thundering burst tore through the dark skies, seemingly blinding his vision and forcing him to shut his eyes. He felt his skin burning and incinerating in the hellstorm itself along with the rest of the members of his team. The area was utterly decimated. The massive fiery explosion could be seen and its shockwave felt for several miles. Pinkobashi quickly remembered his bout with the strange mysterious warrior following them and finding a Crimson Core. He could feel the presence of the masked assailant holding the item in his hardened glove. He knew from his clairvoyance that he had six of them, yet he never knew the real purpose of the thing. The pink puffball was tortured by the thoughts of the fire engulfing everything, creating and destroying, before he felt the possibility of being annihilated and born again from the ashes. His dreams turned into nightmares, and once he felt vulnerable again in his time of reflection, he lost his way. He kept recalling the enemy air raid in his mind, yet that would not happen to one city, but dozens. Pinkobashi woke up once the animal friends and his puffball kin shook him out of his slumber.

"Pinkobashi...you're awake..." Sash reminded him.

"Where am I?"

"You're directly in the impact zone..." The gerbil responded. "We're all inside a crater..."

"According to my calculations...we all touched down about a few miles from the epicenter of the explosion...if we were too close we would have been incinerated by the blast wave..." Isha corrected.

"We landed safe and sound...none of us were hurt..." Ruby was excited.

"We did it?"

"We sure did..."

Pinkobashi was surprised at the impact of the blast and the outcome of the great leveling. There were no survivors. All they could see were the shadows of the Waddle Dee soldiers that vanished in place of the explosion amid the ruins of miles of the annihilated landscape. Alexander, despite the ruined frequency, successfully established contact with the elite Commander Zero. They could hear him loud and clear.

"Commander Zero...Commander Zero...come in..."

"I hear you loud and clear, Commander Alexander of Galaxy Squad..."

"We heard a giant explosion directly over the enemy position..."

"We destroyed the fortress...The KRACKO Unit has been destroyed...The mission...Operation Hidden Rain...was a complete success..."

"Congratulations...Galaxy Squad...I hereby give my thanks to you...you deserve a break..."

"We don't need any time for that...A hero's work is never done..."

"I'll relay to the General...he's on the line..."

"General..."

"Yes...Commander Alexander...I've heard of your success...The flying fortress has been destroyed..."

"Affirmative!"

"Great to hear!"

"All the surrounding enemy facilities near the impact zone were completely destroyed...no sign of survivors...The border security has been completely neutralized..." Alexander could see the numerous battalions of Poponian tanks rolling over their position.

"You really delivered them a mighty blow..."

"They won't be able to recover from that..."

"I wouldn't be so sure..."

"What's our next mission?"

"You're going to enjoy this. This will be your toughest mission yet. Your task will be to search for the final enemy stronghold codenamed Dark Castle...we have rumors from intelligence that King D6 has holed himself inside along with seven of his elite commanders in each of the main sectors...this area serves as a secondary capital...the area is heavily guarded and full of traps both inside and out..you will have to search and neutralize the main target...King D6...by any means necessary...we could bring an end to the war ahead of schedule...this is our only chance...this mission, should you accept, will be incredibly dangerous...However, I have the utmost confidence in your abilities that you are all fit for the task of this most important undertaking...This will put your elite combat skills to the test..."

"We understand!"

"Do you accept the mission?"

"Yes, General!" They all reached an agreement.

"Make our nation proud, Galaxy Squad!"

"Send us a plane..."

"Duly noted...Let's bring it all down!"

"Commander Alexander out!"

The call ended. Pinkobashi was quite ecstatic at what was about to happen. They said their goodbyes to their animal friends as they zoomed off into the night. Even if the DeDenidean army was at the point of collapse, he was still bothered by his thoughts. The storms never left.


	17. Chapter 16: Approaching Dark Castle

CHAPTER 16

Popoken. Capital city of Poponia. Chief residence of the Prime Minister.

Popoken, Poponia, 1300 Hours

Prime Minister Poporen and King Poponiana were speaking with one another in his personal residence. His approval rating was slowly rising back up with the nation reeling from total catastrophe. He was painted as a hero in the press for standing against DeDenidean tyranny and liberating the nation of Poppyland from the mad monarch. This gave them a direct passageway into DeDenidea to attack key military targets, including the capital itself. Intelligence successfully caught wind of King D6 moving with his troops to a hidden location. Galaxy Squad was referenced by the leading military officials of the country and their men as the pride of the Poponian allied forces. The three top military generals who had convinced Prime Minister Poporen into executing Operation Overshadow showed great approval at their contingency operation working perfectly. The Prime Minister was delighted to hear about this sudden turn of events. The royal family was hoping to knight them personally after the war was finally over. Deenon was busily walking into the secret meeting recounting his findings to coordinate the next offensive. As a leading scientist in the Poponian scientific community, he was up to date on his reports on the strange location of what was codenamed Dark Castle. A large computer screen provided an aerial view of the massive castle fortress. Commander Garlemagne was present among the leading elite specialists as a representative of Galaxy Squad, being aware of the events. He was observing the explanation of the scientist and the research teams dispatched several miles near the location and its properties surrounding it.

"We have sent Galaxy Squad the coordinates...for their final mission..."

The servant Dee came to the aid of the prime minister. "Mister Prime Minister. There is a coup d'etat underway in this country. I need to get you to safety immediately. Send the news."

"We're relocating you to this location." The prime minister yawned. His eyes briefly flashed and his senses heightened, but he felt surprisingly sleepy a few seconds later.

"Are you alright, Mr. Prime Minister...you look tired..."

"Not so...I feel possessed..."

"Possessed?"

"I hope the same can be said for King D6.."

"I hope you're right." A devilish grin formed on the prime minister's face. He seemed alright.

* * *

Dark Castle. Giant mysterious castle of unknown origins. Rumored to be the primary residence of His Majesty King D6 of DeDenidea as a secret hideout with his top generals following his swift evacuation from Castle DeDenidea. The final obstacle to total victory.

Dark Castle, Unknown Location, 2200 Hours

The war effort was surprisingly turning in the favor of the Poponian military. D6's forces were being put on the defensive in the preparation for a massive invasion of their homeland. With major defeats on six critical battlefronts, their strategy was exposed to be a great blunder.

Numerous disastrous defeats shattered the resolve of DeDenidean loyalists everywhere.

The nation of Poponia was able to utilize its best warriors in the critical areas that were necessary to succeed in its war against an existential threat to not only its national security, but also international security in general. The top generals of Poponia in their secret conversations with the Prime Minister along with his allies already had plans underway to negotiate regarding what to do with the remnants of the devastated DeDenidean empire.

Deploying the best members of Galaxy Squad to secure this area and bring down the master of madness would be a crucial objective that would bring the Second Great DeDeDe War to a stunning close. All of his forces would surrender, and the empire would collapse following his surrender. There were plans for putting King D6 in the international court for war crimes and sending him in a maximum security prison with no hope of escaping. The situation was still becoming increasingly precarious, as the rough deployment of Galaxy Squad just a few miles from the location was always in danger of being compromised by some strange circumstances beyond their control. The team had to go in stealthily especially in this area of the castle. There was no way to determine the level of resistance faced by the enemy, yet they always predicted a very heavy resistance well in advance of their deployment.

Galaxy Squad surveyed the strange location from the edge of a tall cliff that took a long time for them to surmount. The name of their target location fit the appearance of the large residence with its imposing features. It looked Gothic and medieval, fit for a king. The keep acted as the central tower stood at the top of it as the highest point. There were deep groovings all around the sides. The bricks were hard and wisened. Pinkobashi suddenly recalled his encounter with raiding the DeDessian castle was much easier. They had to face one general back then, but now seven plus the king. He had a feeling that he would be facing a rush of the same commanders he fought before, yet it would not be a cakewalk. Alexander readied his high-focus magnification binoculars at the place. Ruby noted how the black castle itself was surrounded by a veil of darkness, both literally and metaphorically. She could detect it as a cold and bitter night fell over the area. Isha was alarmed by the cold and shivered yet was welcomed by the warmth of her compatriots. Jack was awed by the hardened structure and imagined himself worthy of claiming the castle and his riches for himself. Each of the six members of Galaxy Squad were ready with their powerful copy ability weapons in hand, definitely enough to raise hell. They did not need backup anyway. They were an army of six.

The warnings from their supervisors were true; it was about to be the toughest mission yet.

The commander collected himself before issuing the order to ready his platoon of warriors.

"Go!" Alexander urged his platoon as they headed for the castle grounds.

Galaxy Squad kept surveying the surroundings for a few more minutes, scouring for the presence of enemy patrols in this highly guarded area, before finally moving in when Alexander gave the signal. Numerous battalions of tanks along with numerous IFVs were roaming all across the land when they detected their signal and closed in on their position. Explosions resounded over the area as the six gargantuan Shotzo turrets from the center of the castle were opening fire on their position, pounding the hellish landscape into dust in a matter of seconds. Enemy jets that were zooming over their position at a low altitude were quickly descending and littering the ground with hundreds of vulcan rounds. Galaxy Squad did not retaliate against the vehicles that were too far away to hit them accurately, not to waste precious ammo only if they were overwhelmed by the enemy at a close range. Jack fired off a homing spark at the bottom of a tall tower, the blast causing it to crumble and finally explode, ending the lives of a few Waddle Dee soldiers unfortunate to be trapped under the rubble. Two dozen infantry soldiers appeared with heavy machine guns and sprayed their bullets. An IFV immediately followed. Pinkobashi fired a few beam whip attacks, quickly zapping two of them out cold, before firing a charge shot to incinerate the troop carrier in a single blast. Isha froze two of the soldiers easily with her ice copy ability weapon before launching them away.

Ariana dodged one of the enemy frag grenades and fired a volley of her cutter blade attack to literally disarm the Waddle Dee and cause him to die a gruesome death of blood loss. Another heavy tank rolled up to them and the one gunner fired on Ruby, only for Jack to get in front of it and fire a spark directly. Once the hit connected with the armor, the tank vanished in an instant. The enemy platoon was quickly crushed when the rest of the base was on alert. Numerous Waddle Dee troopers were pouring out of the castle windows to charge toward their positions. The members of Galaxy Squad ran along a series of column platforms where they came across a few regular Waddle Dees armed with assault rifles. Isha quickly froze one of the Waddle Dees into an ice block and knocked the other out cold. "Keep moving!" The commander urged his loyal soldiers. They quickly ran toward a gap and jumped onto the next stone platform. Alexander quickly sliced an unexpected Broom Hatter who would have alerted more of them to their presence. One angry Crack-Tweet hopping inside its egg was blown apart by a slice of Ariana's copy ability weapon, the bird letting out a loud tweet before dying.

A Cappy mercenary without a mushroom covering over his face showed his frightening look while shooting his assault rifle. The team quickly evaded the gunfire while Pinkobashi readied a powerful slice of his sword weapon to knock the mercenary off the ledge and fall to his death. A Waddle Dee that quickly opened fire on the team was burned to death by Blaze's flamethrower. Jack landed on top of another Broom Hatter and crushed him with his spark launcher before firing a blast at a group of Waddle Dees holding loaded RPGs. Two more Cappies with mushroom tops walked toward them only to be torched out of their misery by Blaze's flamethrower again. After jumping over the next hurtle, and defeating the next Cappy that was unfortunate enough to move into their position, they came across a door to enter.

"Let's hope this is the way to the first commander..." Blaze asserted as they marched through.

Galaxy Squad soon found themselves running down a dimly-lit passageway. They found seven platforms from which they could quickly jump up one after the other. These zones were flanked by spikes placed on both sides but none of them were jabbed in the process. The team kept pressing on, but they noticed the movement of enemy two Waddle Dee troopers approaching them from behind. Jack turned around and ordered his friends to stay behind him while he quickly launched a spark blast to incinerate the troopers followed by a Bouncy drone.

The spark generated from the contact with the flammable material inside the drone in the small room also created a small explosion followed by a loud sweeping echo in the hallway.

Pinkobashi fired a whip volley from his beam copy ability weapon to disable another Bouncy.

They immediately entered the door and found that they were locked out from the inside.

Galaxy Squad immediately came in contact with the first enemy commander, the Efreeti, on the other side of the room and opened fire. Ariana's cutter blades and Pinkobashi's beam whip attack followed by Alexander's sword beam were the first to hit as it jumped forward. The Efreeti immediately jumped in the air and zoomed toward the ground while all of Galaxy Squad avoided the attack, the enemy colliding with the floor without feeling any pain. Jack fired a homing spark at the creature once it landed to generate a large anti-tank blast. Ruby shot an anti-tank round of her fire sniper weapon at the creature's head above its eyes. Alexander ran near the edge of the wall and jumped up to bait the creature into running at the wall, the crash knocking the creature off guard. The Efreeti had no ranged attacks, yet it made up for it in terms of its speed and precision in locking onto its foes from a short distance. It jumped in the air and zoomed in a downward arc toward the other side of the arena for Pinkobashi to charge and ready a charged beam attack to deal great damage to the target.

They jumped out of the way of the charging attack of the Efreeti and readied for Ariana to hit it a few times when it lost its burning form. Alexander readied the final blow with a charge slash attack that yielded a heavy explosion that knocked the target against the wall. He sliced the Efreeti carcass for it to explode. As soon as the enemy commander was destroyed, they updated the activity of the objectives before reaching the exit of a part of Dark Castle.

"One down...six to go!" Alexander noted to his subordinates.

"Scanners indicate that we need to move west to reach the next area..."

"No time to wait..." The members of Galaxy Squad were informed as they found the next location. The falling down a long way before safely landing down by down what seemed to some to be a fatal fall to only be broken by a deluge of water that they all splashed in. They swam through the cold water where Glunks attached themselves on the bottom and top of the stone structure in front of them, dodging the occasional Blipper fish that was swimming near them. The team immediately breached the surface and waded toward the land. An icicle fell from the ceiling and into the water about a few feet in front of them.

"This castle needs some renovation...I tell you!" Jack boasted to his friends as they ran and fell to the ground on the hallway to the door. There were strangely no hostiles at this point.

Once they ended up in an area on the other side, they had no way of realizing that bunch of enemies hopping around inside small boxes and unable to attack them. A Flamer, Rocky, Drifter, Chilly, Spiky, and Sparky and Pengy were all trapped inside, ready to be swallowed, but the team did not realize it, and they pressed forward. Ariana spotted three Spiky creatures on a block atop a pit of dangerous spikes. Ariana fired a volley of her cutter blades, killing the dangerous needle beasts easily, before the rest of the team went for the next door above them. On the other side of the door, they encountered a lone Blade bearing a challenge with his sword. Alexander hopped into the fray and slew the elite warrior in a single strike by breaking his armor and cleaving through his skin. He savored the taste of the blood of the fallen. With the enemy defeated, a white bag triggered to fall from the ceiling onto the hard floor and the vengeful gerbil loosened his way out with his rescuers.

"Thanks for saving me!"

"Don't mention it!" Pinkobashi uttered. They quickly ran down the hallway as quickly as they could, hearing the enemy alarms echo throughout the rooms, barely evading eight falling icicles before immediately stopping to engage a Sir Kibble that was ready to engage them.

The angry gerbil tackled him to the ground, pummeling him and getting him in a chokehold before taking his blade on his helmet and jabbing him in the eyes, blinding the target.

"You got him good..."

"I didn't even need to use my weapons for that encounter."

"What happened..."

"I was caught while doing some recon scouting with Splash and Sash a few miles away from the premises of the castle...I still don't have any reliable info...all I know from the others is that the enemy is planning something big..."

"What is it? Does it have to do with the strange darkness that is exuding this castle? Come on, I really want to know about this...this phenomenon must have a scientific explanation..."

"All I know is that it is the fault of something...something that is not of this world..."

"Who's next in line...Who is our next target? Can you give us anything?" Alexander added.

"The commander is waiting behind the door...Master Green..."

"He's going to be nobody's master by the time we're done with him..." Jack cracked his knuckles as they waltzed inside the door and were ready to fight the giant jellyfish. Master Green met them with bitter rage with strong electrical surges travelling all across his body.

The creature lurched forward and fired two electric bolts that forced the team to duck.

Ariana launched off her explosive cutter rounds from her shotgun near the jellyfish before it jumped in the air and launched more charged lightning bolts. Once Master Green jumped back down on the ground, the creature generated a spark shield around itself while the team fired at it from a far distance. Ruby fired her sniper rifle at its thick head to yield great damage. Alexander charged and readied a powerful sword slash for a close range attack but the creature fired a charged surge of electricity that travelled on the ground, leaving a large shockwave that forced the team to jump up. Isha tried to freeze it in its tracks but the beast kept hopping along the ground even with its thin appendages that could easily shatter. The jellyfish hopped toward them for Pinkobashi and Jack to time their approach and fire their charged heavy attacks from two different directions, the collision of both attacks connecting with a giant explosion that annihilated the jellyfish and knocked it over. Master Green gave out and readied to blow itself up only for Blaze to burn the body with his mighty flamethrower. The jellyfish completely disappeared in the ensuing fire, its charred remains nonexistent, while Galaxy Squad noticed the exit door suddenly revealed itself to them. The enemy's command structure was slowly faltering and on the verge of falling in the midst of the critical period.

"That was easy...that jellyfish was nothing..." Ruby argued.

"That commanders are still active in five more areas..." Ariana made it clear to her friends. "We're running out of time."

"Understood..."

"We need to head outside...to avoid staying in one general area...the next commander is"

The members of Galaxy Squad kept moving around the castle grounds when they came across a mechanized battalion. Jack fired a homing spark at an oncoming heavy tank that was shooting at them with its main cannon, the trailing blast causing the main cannon to explode. "Enemy tank destroyed!" Jack remarked to his comrades once the smoke briefly cleared. A group of four Waddle Dee soldiers were heading in the direction of the wreck. Jim brought out his machine guns and sprayed a flurry of bullets at two of them, the bullets tearing up their armor and quickly killing them. Pinkobashi readied a charged blast at another IFV that was speeding up to them and opening fire at them. He dodged the machine gun fire and let it rip, the powerful shot colliding with the vehicle and setting the driver and riders ablaze.

They were approaching a small hill where their presence caused four spinning Kabus to materialize out of thin air and fall on them one after the other. The Kabus hopped and attempted to crush them. Two of the spinning statues were blown apart by Ariana's cutter blade combat shotgun with the help of her critical hit. Ruby fired a sniper round at one of the heads at close range as it was about to fall on Blaze. Blaze heard the piercing round hit right in between the eye slits with the precise hit causing the spark to go out almost immediately. They puffed up and landed on the middle of a small platform where four more hopping Kabus descended them. Alexander readied four shredded slashes that were perfectly timed to segment them into stone chunks. Two of the four Kabus were torn in half by the attack while the others were torn into small pieces and crushed into the dirt before they disappeared

"Let's hope we don't have to deal with too many Kabus...those things are annoying..."

Jack argued. They kept moving up a small hill.

"Rockies...look out!" Isha shouted as two Rockies were rolling down the hillside into the pits, but the team members floated up to avoid being flattened by the Rockies. "That was close..."

Jim noted after rolling out of the way and almost being pushed off to his apparent doom.

They could hear the sounds of loud metal springs advancing near the hill.

"Bouncies...dead ahead..." Alexander noted. "Take em' out!"

When they reached the top of the hill they were greeted by a Bouncy drone that immediately hopped in front of them. Six of the machines were hopping onto three steps to reach the top. Alexander swung a powerful slash at the head of the machine that tore the drone to pieces, the blast providing the spark for a powerful explosion. Four more Bouncies were heading in their direction. Isha froze one of the Bouncies into an ice block and kicked the frozen metal husk into another one of the robots, the crash destroying the head and yielding a small blast. Blaze burned one of the machines with his flamethrower, the burn causing the machine to fall over and blow up from its overheating flammable engine. Jack dodged the fire from two of their autocannons and fired a spark blast that travelled through both of them and fried their internals before the two spring machines self-destructed and nearly caught him in the blast.

"Hostiles down..." Alexander noted as they headed for the door into a narrow passageway.

The passageway was moving, ready to crush them if they ran too slowly or got caught in a trap, expanding like a maze where they had to find the right way out of the mess.

They stepped down a gap and noticed a Sir Kibble standing atop a block to pick them off. Pinkobashi jumped up and gained the cutter ability by swallowing the blade wielding warrior.

A gap filled with a pit of deadly spikes was easily traversed by all of them jumping over it.

They all quickly floated up to find a Scarfy ominously floating toward them. Pinkobashi jumped up and threw a cutter blade to penetrate the eye of the flying creature for it to detonate. The team quickly jumped over another pit of spikes when they found a Spiky creature bearing its sharp barbs on its back before being assaulted by Ariana's cutter blade in the face. They moved up to the top and quickly slew a Sir Kibble by Alexander hacking its armor apart.

They then stepped down to find the one exit door as the walls were closing in on them.

"Go in! Quickly!" Alexander yelled as the others raced inside and stopped inside a large room. When they came inside, they found a large blue walrus wearing thick overalls and exuding a strong chilly breath that filled much of the already cold room. They knew it was the elaborate Mr. Frosty. The beast charged toward them. Blaze decided to rip out his flamethrower on full blast and do great damage to the creature for a few seconds, the burning beast howling in pain. When the beast recovered, he turned around and fashioned a large ice block with his ice breath to launch at his foes. The members quickly ducked. Ruby pinpointed and fired an armor piercing round directly at his thick head, the shot dealing great damage. Jack fired a homing spark at the head of the creature to yield a great explosion while Ariana came in close and fired her cutter blade shotgun at close range for the cuts to bore deep in his blubber fat. Alexander did the same with a strong sword beam at point-blank range when the chubby commander failed to notice his presence. The angry walrus charged toward Isha Pinkobashi fired his beam whip that shocked the great beast. There was a sudden blast of energy generated by the last attack that knocked the walrus out cold and launched him off the ground for a few seconds only for Pinkobashi to zap him again. The members of Galaxy Squad quickly reached the door when the coast was clear to advance further. The third commander being soundly defeated by Galaxy Squad really bothered the enemy high command structure.

The team quickly followed the holographic schematics of the castle and ran toward the next area that was similarly designed like the first area. They encountered two aggressive Sir Kibbles on top of a bridge. Pinkobashi zapped the first Sir Kibble with his beam copy ability weapon, frying and disabling his battle-hardened golden armor. The second Sir Kibble was soundly defeated by a quick strike of Alexander's sword beam tearing right through his armor. A third Sir Kibble atop a higher platform of the bridge tossed and retrieved his blade, giving his location away to the elite fighters directly below him. Ruby fired a single round of her fire sniper to prevent the one Sir Kibble from alerting others to their presence. Unfortunately, they came into contact with a large lumbering Masher knight with his heavy flail. The heavy knight tossed his flail into the air, forcing all the puffballs to duck. Jack fired a spark directly at the chest of the metallic monstrosity, the strike yielding a great explosion that destroyed the knight instantly. One Butch and one Blade knight appeared wielding a heavy axe and a sword directly below them, slashing their blades in the air. Isha was the first to land and quickly froze the skull-faced knight into an ice cube and kicked it back toward the Blade, knocking him off the bridge. Another Sir Kibble was assaulted by Ariana's cutter blade before he could show any resistance to her. Alexander joined in the fray by killing an expert Blade swordsman.

The team quickly raced for the door and found themselves in another narrow corridor. Time was running out, and they had to once again outrun the moving walls to avoid being crushed. They quickly floated and hopped up a few ledges to find a narrow corridor of enemies. A spooky Mumbies floated toward them, only for Ariana to slay it by launching a volley of cutter blades that tore its bandaged body to shreds. Pinkobashi fired a zapping beam whip from his beam copy ability weapon to detonate a Scarfy before it could trigger its self-destruct. The impact of the bomb shook the corridor, the sound rebounding in the narrow hallway. A cornered Bouncy that activated its alert system was destroyed by Alexander cutting it in two with his sword copy ability weapon. He then proceeded to slash through a star block defense holding a Flamer drone in its place, his unmatchable blade being very effective. Ariana fired another volley of cutter projectiles from her shotgun at a Scarfy that was frantically floating toward them before it could trigger its dangerous monster form or possibly self-destruct. Another Mumbies appeared right in front of them for Jim the gerbil to easily defeat by shooting it in the red eye with his machine gun which made the vanquished corpse vanish for good. The members of Galaxy Squad and Jim had no time to waste when they raced for the door.

They found themselves locked out by another swing door and trapped to face another dangerous adversary on the other end. The team just stopped at the room for a shadow to appear on the other side of the room, with a pair of glowing eyes shrouded by a warrior garb.

"That was close! We were almost crushed!" Pinkobashi shouted. "We must be close to the-"

He stopped to find that the same dangerous Waiu ninja was standing across from them.

"Look out!" The pink puffball shouted as the Waiu threw a series of cutter projectiles in their direction. The members of Galaxy Squad dodged the fury of attacks before Pinkobashi inhaled two cutter projectiles and spat them at the ninja that was unable to see it coming. The Waiu hopped in the air to dodge Jack's spark blast attack and fell to the ground with a loud slam to send a flaming projectile flying into the air before focusing a cutter kick attack by swiping his leg right at Ariana, whose cutter blade shotgun shells were unable to hit. She was nearly torn apart herself, barely facing the range of the attack. Blaze jumped into the battle and sprayed a plume from his flamethrower from behind, but the flames missed and only resulted in the ninja hopping in the air and throwing two more cutter projectiles at him from afar. Pinkobashi swallowed the last round launched from the ninja that he hoped would finish him off. Alexander charged at the ninja to ready a slash, but the ninja reflexively jumped backwards and performed his cutter kick attack. Alexander nearly got hit. The Waiu then kicked up three burning projectiles into the air to distract the commander. His eyes struggled to focus as the warrior disappeared into what looked like a wind of reflections. Alexander ran around while Pinkobashi suddenly remembered that he had to not stay in one place. Jim opened fire at the leaping ninja with his machine gun, only for the registered hit to trigger the ninja to fall on him and nearly tear him apart. The gerbil froze for a brief second, unable to move, while Pinkobashi fired the last shot at the ninja from the back, the attack knocking the ninja back against the wall. Even though the Waiu was injured, Pinkobashi quickly charged his beam heavy machine gun and let it rip through the fury of the blasts before connecting with the sender of the cutter projectiles. The team could hear a great rippling explosion knock the Waiu out of commission. Pinkobashi quickly inhaled the ninja and gained his cutter ability.

He could throw an infinite supply of deadly rapidly spinning projectiles when he needed to. By hopping onto Jim the gerbil, he could be tossed like a pink boomerang that could tear through solid steel and devastate the toughest of enemy armor on its approach and return to sender.

"Commander down!" Alexander noted.

"This is too easy!" Blaze quipped. "I can't wait to bring down the King himself!"

"We still need to find Sash and Splash. I think they're in the next area over." Jim added.

"Let's hope so!"

Their mission was halfway over. Three more commanders, plus the king, remained in their way. Pinkobashi was glad to see that he was able to take part in undermining the fortunes of King D6 and his men. It was inevitable. The chief guards were falling down as if they were vital parts of a house of cards on the verge of total collapse. The presence of enemy forces in and around Dark Castle still remained quite strong. Pinkobashi had the brief opportunity to peer through a large window toward the dim weather outside. Storm clouds were gathering over the horizon. The temperature started to greatly decrease, along with his patience. His mind was constantly imagining the possible outcomes that could happen on their mission. King D6 must be possessed to be hiding himself in this wretched and decrepit castle.

Two black stealth fighter planes were racing in the air toward the castle. The master and apprentice of the Knights of Spatha had quickly entered enemy airspace without firing a single rocket, but had evaded the advanced detection systems, a necessary asset for what seemed like a dangerous infiltration mission. They knew what they were coming for.

King D6 was drowsily sitting atop his secondary bunker while King Doo quickly arrived at his temporary throne room. It must have been a long way of running to face supplication. He reached the summit of the castle tower, where the dark clouds were gathering. He pondered his next course of action carefully. He was not alarmed, for he had just recovered from an unnatural sleep. He hated to see King Doo barge in with the unfortunate news.

"Galaxy Squad! They've infiltrated the castle with orders to kill you!"

King D6 was unfazed as his back was turned. King Doo briefly noticed what looked like a dark orb essence, but his mind was playing tricks on him, the King was unable to sense it as it entered his body. The almighty king took on a devilish smile unlike he had never shown his enemies before. There was no distinct smell or even emotion. He felt completely different, surrounded by a shadowy otherworldly constitution. His mind had surrendered to the matter.

"King Doo...I will stay...you...I pay my regards..."

"What the hell?! At least give me one more chance! I promise you! I will destroy those pesky puffballs once and for all!" The Waddle Doo came on his hands and knees to beg for mercy.

"No need...I will have you know that I am legendary in my combat prowess...this body is in excellent condition...the time is up for them...I will face them personally...no...all at once...Your consistent failure to achieve victory has slighted all in this very organization!"

King Doo was unable to speak as the great king came up to him. He was unable to cry. The penguin's glaring eyes were glowing black with his dark eyes, staring into the soul of his ever-reliant second in command. King Doo's eye was fixated on his commander in chief as he gripped him with his powerful muscles. His life flashed through his large eye.

"I have already readied my troops...the king will judge those who transgress against his will!"

"Yes...oh great one..." King Doo was unable to feel his master as his heart was giving out. He reached the edge of the castle's roof. His mind was slipping from him. His vision turned black as the air as he was. He was unable to resist the feeling that his life force was draining from him before the king let go. The second in command felt the chilling embrace of the storm. The war had consumed another hapless victim. Within a few seconds, he was gone, disappearing into the dark wind, never to be seen again. There was no hope of finding his body. He was judged. He was guilty and sentenced to death. Now the rest of the world would be judged.


	18. Chapter 17: Annihilating Dark Castle

CHAPTER 17

Dark Castle. Hideout of King D6. Four of seven elite commanders have been eliminated as part of a special infiltration mission by Galaxy Squad in their plan to search and destroy the king

Dark Castle, Unknown Location, 2200 Hours.

Galaxy Squad was noticing the development of the situation become ever more difficult as they ascended Dark Castle. The stakes had never been higher. The enemy presence of Dark Castle was present on all sides, blackened with the shadows of infantry and vehicles roaming the ruined lands of a devastated battlefield. The members of the elite special warfare group were constantly on the alert for a surprise attack, yet they had no idea when it would potentially come. They ran with their copy ability weapons at their sides, ready to use them whenever they got overwhelmed. With no hope of backup, they had to risk everything to get an edge over their opponents. Each of the members had their hopes about what would happen if they were the heroes who successfully took out D6. They were reaching another bridge on their way in the direction of the main tower where King D6 was confirmed by a report from intelligence to have holed himself inside along with his top generals. Pinkobashi in particular kept feeling a cold chill run all along his body to the point that he nearly felt the signs of hypothermia. He reminisced of the many great challenges that he surmounted over the years, culminating in the epic battle that he and his friends were suddenly thrown into by their mysterious backers. His visions were amplified especially when he is present in Dark Castle, surrounded by darkness and despair. He felt that his very essence was being drained, yet his resolve kept him going through the storms that were brewing outside the giant fortification. Jim the gerbil stayed close to his friend Pinkobashi as he was ready to use his cutter powers to slice through enemies that they encountered. Commander Alexander stood at the front as team leader, ready to give the orders for their next objective as he surveyed the surrounding area. The country was about to embrace total destruction, facing utter annihilation at every turn even with a narrow victory against an existential threat at every critical battlefront. There was still much uncertainty over the aftereffects of the defeat of King D6 and his empire, especially with the state of the Poponian empire and its control over the vital resources necessary to maintain supremacy against any future threats to its security. Though Pinkobashi was well aware that his absence from his former unit meant that his new compatriots would fill in the role, he hoped to reunite with the five heroes of the First Great DeDeDe War and fight alongside them whenever the situation demanded in some future war that Poponia could not win without them. Alexander still had his trusty binoculars to scout out the main tower and the ideal area to attack from in order to cause critical damage and provide a good way of attacking the other main commanders that were leading the active sectors. They determined that assaulting from the west point of the castle would be the best area to accomplish this. Pinkobashi found a door to the next area without triggering a trap. They immediately bolted after two Waddle Dee troopers had finished their inspection check of the sector near the top of the room. The troopers quickly left and were already long gone, unable to be taken out. Galaxy Squad immediately found another wet room deprived of signs of other enemy forces and another way to infiltrate another sector relatively undetected, yet they did not expect the means through which they would have to arrive: another watery corridor.

Each of the members of Galaxy Squad quickly fell on the surface of a pool of dark water. They all held their breath and descended into the murky depths below. The puffballs slowly swam to the bottom. Four Gordos placed within a fathom of each other moved from side to side in a predictable pattern. Two Sir Slippies and Blippers emerged from the crevices to chase them.

Each of the members slipped through the movement of another Gordo rising and falling as they reached the bottom. An aggressive Blipper fish that was swimming toward them was defeated by Blaze blowing water through his mouth like a spray gun. They pushed up through the tunnel and dodged another Gordo before reaching the doorway. Three more Gordos were floating up and down. Alexander had to time his movements and urge all of his men to swim with a keen attention to the timing, rapidly kicking to avoid getting jabbed by the spikes. Isha blew a water gun at a Blipper that surprised them, killing it immediately. All the members of Galaxy Squad quickly swam through the door and found a hard floor, immediately exhaling when they exited. They were surrounded by enemies possessing various abilities that were unable to attack them. A Flamer, Rocky, Drifter, Chilly, Spiky, Sparky and Pengy were all detected but not . It seemed like a repeat of what they saw earlier, as it was strange for the enemy to have done this. They trekked through a tight corridor, with three Gordos floating over spike pits in front of them with star blocks positioned to jump on with carefully timed leaps. Each of them lept and bounded over each of the obstacles without getting jabbed by the Gordos again. As the puffballs were quite athletic in their maneuvers, they had no trouble. They quickly raced up a hallway and ran through another door to encounter a deadly Blade in the middle of a room. Alexander quickly slew the warrior with a quick jab of his sword copy ability weapon, firing a sword beam that cleaved his thick armor apart. A sudden white bag fell from the ceiling, and once again Sash the falcon popped out, ready to take to the skies again.

"Sash! I'm so glad we found you!" Jim ran up to the newly freed bird to embrace him.

"Hopefully this is the last time I end up in enemy captivity!"

Pinkobashi decided to switch to Sash and get on his back, able to use his cutter ability to fire off explosive cutter feather missiles that could cover a wide range. Even though the blades could not home in on their intended targets, they were glad they had strong accuracy to limit misses. The projectiles still could do great damage on their own.

"Let's go!" Alexander informed. The members of Galaxy Squad immediately continued their movements through a hallway and came into contact with another corridor of deadly enemies that deployed from hatches in the ceiling. Pinkobashi and Sash fired cutter blades that tore through a floating Scarfy and Drifter, each hit yielding a small explosion when the spinning missiles tore them in two. A Sir Kibble jumped down and tossed his cutter blade like a boomerang, the spinning projectile trailing around the members but unable to hit one of them. Ariana retaliated by firing a single cutter blade combat shotgun spread near his face for maximum impact, felling the blade user instantly, without realizing that she triggered an electric Sparky that was hopping near her. Before the creature could fry her up close, Ruby used her fire sniper to make its head explode in a single shot. The incendiary round yielded a strong burn that could be seen through what was left of its head. Ariana could hear the echo of the shot up close before coming back to her group, glad to have an accurate sniper on their side. While her back was turned, another Scarfy was floating close by, being disturbed enough to assume its gruesome monster form rather than its previous happy self. Its agitated form morphed its body structure to show off its sharp teeth and elongated fangs to maul flesh apart like a tiger. Its two eyes fused together into one to provide stronger eyesight. Its ghastly complexion resembled that of a phantom when it pounced on its victim with mouth agape.

"Ariana, another Scarfy is behind you!" Isha affirmed while Ariana ran for cover. Isha froze the beast into an ice block with her ice gun, the impact of the freeze causing the body to fall and shatter without exploding. Ariana was quite surprised by the effects.

"Thanks. I owe you one." Ariana noted.

"Hostiles have been eliminated." Alexander scanned the room a few seconds later. "I think the commander is nearby. Stay sharp." There was not that much resistance in their way.

"Look out! We have a big rock!" He shouted over his view of a large solid brick.

They quickly took care of the enemy presence and raced for the next door ahead. The door was locked off while a lumbering squarish shadow engulfed them. Galaxy Squad soon came face to face with the heavy Blocky. Jack urged everyone to get out of the way as he fired a spark blast right at the enemy's face, the powerful explosive hit to launch the foe back. The legs forced the creature to charge at Jack and run right into the wall, with Jack a few feet from being flattened to a pulp against the hardened wall. Ariana inhaled one of the rocks left by and spat it back at the creature, the hit briefly stunning the large rock monster, before running back close to her team and trying to hit it from afar. It was useless to have bullets pierce solid rock. Jim fired some of his rifle and tossed one of his frag grenades near the Blocky's feet, the impact from the blast doing some damage. Alexander fired a sword beam near its back, causing the beast to turn around and try to crush him. Pinkobashi and Sash took to the air and hit him with two cutter blades. The Blocky jumped up in the air and tried to fall on them and Alexander at once. They quickly ran out of the way while Isha and Blaze inhaled the rocks on each side of the creature, timing each of their spits right to hit the rock monster for maximum damage. The stunned creature turned itself over on the ground, showing a despondent frowning expression while Jack laughed at the stone monster. Jack fired his spark blast to destroy the downed creature in a single hit. Once the creature was totalled in the ensuing bright explosion, the door suddenly blew open for the team to exit through.

"Commander down!" Alexander noted.

"We knocked his block off!" Sash congratulated his team.

"We sure did!" Pinkobashi affirmed.

"I think D6 must be shitting his pants right now!" Jack laughed as he lowered his bazooka.

"We're already close to reaching the base of the main tower." Isha notified them as they ventured outside the castle toward a large gorge. The intense storms were picking up outside and the temperature was getting much colder. They were freezing even before they found the exit outside and moved further up the castle. Isha was shocked by the sudden onset of snow falling. The weather was strange. There seemed to be an unnatural explanation for the strange phenomenon, but she had no time to explain it. The castle itself gradually became more like a ruined wasteland, a relic of years past on the verge of disrepair. All the phantoms that allegedly inhabited it kept worrying the group, yet the members of Galaxy Squad all had their reservations in blaming things on the occult. There were legends of Dark Castle, with not much being known about its location. It was believed to be constructed by DeDenidean hands, but there were no signs of the builders. Pinkobashi kept thinking back to the ruined city in his dreams and the presence of a strange crying angel surrounded by darkness. He hoped something would come to free the world from the shadows. The enemy was already on the move, having already sent another large platoon of heavy tanks, infantry, and fighter jets after them. Ruby was able to fire off a few rounds at oncoming troopers as soon as they sprang into action. Jack fired a single spark blast at a column of four troopers running along a hillside, incinerating them all and launching them into the air for a few feet as dismembered corpses. Blaze burned one of the troopers just as he was about to shoot him with his automatic rifle. A heavy tank caught the heavy off guard almost when it was too late, with Alexander firing a sword beam volley from his sword copy ability weapon to penetrate its thick armor and kill everyone inside it once the disabled tank was struck hard enough. Pinkobashi and Sash were able to score a couple hits on a tank before they engaged in a dogfight with two enemy jets. The two of them were able to blow up the enemy planes in one hit when they got close behind them with their cutter feather missiles. Jim was congratulating their skills as he massacred a few Waddle Dees with his guns. Isha was able to provide him cover as she froze one of the Waddle Dee soldiers into an ice block and kicked him back into his side, barely missing a Waddle Dee that she killed shortly afterward. Alexander tore through a few more Waddle Dee soldiers effortlessly as they barely missed him with their accurate firing patterns. Ariana fired off some of her cutter blades from her cutter blade shotgun in quick succession, blowing away the enemy Waddle Dees with ease, feeling joy with every enemy defeated by her hands. Two more heavy tanks that were heading in toward the direction of their unit were stopped by Isha and Jack slowing it down and distracting them before hitting them head on with a spark blast. Pinkobashi and Sash tore up another enemy jet before it could drop a bomb on his friends.

The enemy presence was quickly crushed in the area while the other two commanders were reinforcing their additional garrisons closer to the tower, so the members of Galaxy Squad had to keep moving through the harsh winds before they could engage the rest of the defenders.

Galaxy Squad moved up a hill and floated over a short gap, with Jim running and jumping over. There was no need to look down the pit. They soon found themselves moving over two more gaps before the team kept moving over the ground. The puffballs floated above some chasms and quickly evaded four moving Gordos before reaching the door to reenter the castle itself. All of them were forced to engage in another moving room ready to crush them.

"Shit! It's moving again! Go!" Jack made it clear to his comrades. They had the ability to take three possible paths, two of them facing a dead end. The path in the middle of the corridor was just a thick wall that could not be destroyed even by Jack's mighty spark blast. They were quick to recognize the area to keep moving through. An axe-wielding Butch stood at the ready with his spinning blade only to be blasted away from Ariana's quick trigger pull on her cutter blade shotgun at the top of the first obstacle. They kept running over the top and landing on a flat area only for them to confront another Masher machine atop a star block placed over a spiked pit, spinning his flail ready to throw it with the target locked. Pinkobashi ordered Sash to fire his cutter blade feathers at the beast for it to explode in a single hit upon making contact with the projectile. The puffballs jumped over the pit and eyed the two walls leading to dead ends, only having seconds to react. Pinkobashi and Sash flew close to another Masher at the lower area and opened fire with his cutter attack, the blade impaling through the mechanical monster before it imploded like the other machine. Isha immediately froze a Butch attacking atop a star block and kicked him into the wall before heading for the top to freeze another. The middle area was strangely left open with a Blade being defeated by Commander Alexander slicing him with a single strike. Galaxy Squad then encountered another Masher unit on the lower floor as they spotted an open end. Alexander readied a few slices to tear apart its flail before jabbing through its chest for it to explode. The puffballs felt the knockback following the slaying of the guardian robot but were able to quickly jump up a short platform and head for the door. They had a brief window of about five seconds for them to run and avoid being crushed by the scrolling room ahead of them. It was strange for an old castle to have that trap in the first place, with Galaxy Squad wishing that the trap they just endured was the last one. The door closed behind them as they kept moving ahead into a large room.

"Damn...We were almost a puffball sandwich!" Jack affirmed.

"Hey! We're trapped inside with a Big Gordo! I didn't know they had those!" Ariana screeched.

"Shit!" Blaze screamed.

"Captain Stitch!" Pinkobashi instantly recognized his past encounter with the spiked foe.

The large black Gordo known as Captain Stitch observed them with a steely look. Jim started firing his machine gun while Blaze unleashed his flamethrower as a way of going along, while the beast quickly headed toward them and forced the team to gradually head to the other side of the room to find a better area to attack the commander from. Even copy ability weapons could do nothing against an invincible Gordo, much less a larger and enhanced one. Sash and Pinkobashi took to the air and tried to wait for an opening. Captain Stitch spotted them on the ground. Pinkobashi quickly turned to be surprised, ordering him to lower as the creature turned around and sped toward the wall, planning to ram them with the wall and impale them with not only his spikes in front of him but also crush them with his sheer weight. The puffballs quickly jumped over the giant Gordo as he slammed into the wall. He lost all spikes that gave him his precious defenses, falling on the floor in a clump of eight, Sash fired a volley of cutter blades from above, one destroying the spikes while another hitting the back of the armored foe. All of them at that critical point knew his only weakness.

"He's been exposed! Fire everything!" Pinkobashi spouted to his friends as he fired a volley of three blasts from Sash's wings from the air in quick succession.

"NOW! Open fire!" Alexander ordered as fired a strong slash from his sword gun near his back, with the enemy flashing blue with each strike placed near the vulnerable area. Jim fired a volley of machine gun rounds at him. Blaze unleashed his flamethrower to fry his ass for a few seconds, unable to witness the shocked pain that the enemy commander was feeling on his face. Ariana fired two volleys of some of her cutter projectiles near the face. Ruby quickly fired a close shot aimed above the eyes where his brain supposedly was. Jack quickly fired his spark blast aimed at the back of the commander in the hopes of finishing him off, but the spikes popped up as soon as it connected with a great blast, the puffballs were surprised that the explosion did nothing as the giant Gordo hovered close within a few seconds. Captain Stitch was moving faster than before. His spikes curled back like a pronged trap as he was ready to strike again at Galaxy Squad with a ramming maneuver. They immediately ran and jumped out of the wall as Captain Stitch, trying not to throw his spikes to leave himself open to be assaulted, rocketed himself forward in a final attempt to splatter all the puffballs again. Jim, staring at the angry eyes, nearly stopped his movement, the fear forcing him to jump just above the spikes to avoid being stabbed. The spikes were knocked off of Captain Stitch, for all the puffballs to once again open fire with everything they had. Jack opened the salvo with a second spark blast that yielded a great explosion only for the creature to be launched upward and flip over on the ground with his large eyes bulged out and his toothless mouth ajar for all the others to see. The creature could still hear his demeaning jokes. Captain Stitch, despite being unable to move any part of his body, knew that his biological self destruct sequence was already activated. Alexander readied a powerful giga slash to tear through the living blue bomb and destroy it before it could destroy them. The disabled Gordo disappeared. They had never seen what a Gordo looked like when it was naked, and had never had the opportunity to see one express emotion, especially when they were up close. The exit door opened.

"Captain destroyed!" Alexander notified them. "We still have the last one at the main tower to deal with..."

"Let's hope so!" A determined Blaze spoke his mind. "I can't wait to bring him down!"

With another commander destroyed, they kept moving toward the main tower. They quickly ran down a hallway to reach the final tower, unbeknownst to the fact that two other mysterious warriors were believed to be already moving there as well. The enemy presence was believed to be stronger than in any of the areas that they ventured through previously. While on their way to the main tower, they quickly hopped up three small identical platforms before hopping up to dodge a trap of two Gordos quickly floating from left to right joined by an automatic Shotzo turret. Those Gordos had no visible expressions, only having their eyes wide open unlike the deadly Captain Stitch that was always angry with his spikes on when he was facing his enemies. They all hopped up to avoid the cannonfire before the cannon fired its ball at them. Galaxy Squad was sandwiched in between two columns of spikes that did not move.

The puffballs hopped up on the platforms above. Jack, being the largest and heaviest member, felt claustrophobic as he ascended the platforms, yet he was able to fit inside. Pinkobashi and Sash were able to hover up at a slow speed to avoid being skewered. All of Galaxy Squad immediately entered the door only to find themselves in a dark hallway with no way for even a sliver of light to pierce through from the outside. Isha was the first puffball to immediately recognize that a bunch of Glunks were clinging to the wall and a shallow pool of water, blowing air pellets that she was able to detect. It was strange to find them clinging here.

Judging by the number of pellets firing in different directions, they counted eight of them. Pinkobashi and Sash saw the volley of projectiles and fired a volley of cutter projectiles to incinerate two sea anemone at once, judging their aim by the presence of the air puffs. The pink puffball and the falcon were both able to clear a path for their team to keep moving through the dark hallway toward the black door ahead and move further up the main tower.

All of them were quite glad to find bright light filling the entire room ahead of them.

They found themselves hopping on crystalline platforms that were too hard to be shattered.

They were surrounded by the onset of various regular enemies guarded behind thick walls.

"They're coming from the walls, man!" Jack shouted.

"I have detected a signal of a Crimson Core in this area...it's faint...but it's there..." Isha noted.

"Why in the hell are they hiding this of all places inside here?" Pinkobashi asked her.

"I haven't the slightest..."

"Maybe we have to use the enemies inside here to help us get to it..." Pinkobashi discharged his copy ability. "We can't just fly up one way each time. They want to make this difficult!"

"In that case...we shouldn't harm them..if we destroy them all...we're back at square one!"

"We shouldn't inhale all of them and get the wrong one either...we have to be specific..."

"Indeed!"

"New plan, guys! Listen up!"

Multiple enemies possessing a variety of copy abilities were found on both sides. They could hear the sounds of the creatures performing their attacks, unable to break free, ready to be inhaled. At this point, they found a strange puzzle ahead of them. They had three possible directions. By moving up, there was one way, while the left and right sides were blocked by a wall of two blocks that could only be destroyed by a specific ability. The one on the left was ice while the other on the right was a stone block. Pinkobashi allowed Sash to fly near the walls to inspect and put his ear near the sounds to closely make out the burning of a Flamer drone on one side and a Drifter drone on the other side. He inhaled and swallowed the drone to gain his burning ability to melt the left ice blocks. The rest of the puffballs and Jim followed.

"Wait. Why don't we split up! We'll cover more ground and maybe find the object that way!" Blaze suggested.

"Let's just go the right way...We don't want to get lost." Pinkobashi suggested.

"Besides...the strength of my Blood Moon detector will increase the closer we get to the Crimson Core...so we know if we fail...after all, I designed it myself." Isha confirmed.

"I'll be the ability tester!" Pinkobashi reasoned. "Don't worry! We got this!"

They came up to an identical room with different enemy abilities. Pinkobashi expelled his ability. They were able to make out a Rocky for stone, a Drifter for parasol, and Sparky for spark. The obstacles were needle on the left and rock on the right, With the detector yielding a higher level reading for the rock, Pinkobashi swallowed the Rocky to gain the rock ability and turn himself into a living stone weight that Sash was barely able to hold up with his talons. He fell down to destroy the blocks and clear a path for the friends. The next identical roomm had a Flamer for burning, Sparky for spark, Spiky for needle, and Sir Kibble for cutter. A needle obstacle was on the left and the cutter obstacle on the right. Pinkobashi scarfed down the Spiky near the top to transform into a spiked ball of death with the needle ability. They pierced the left barrier with one puncture attack, destroying both blocks in their path. The following room found Sir Kibble, Sparky, Rocky, Drifter, and Pengy near the top. Near the doorway, an ice barricade was found on their left and a spark barricade on the right. Pinkobashi recognized that they had not swallowed the Pengy before, so they tried that one to gain the ice ability. Pinkobashi could breath an icy breath that could shatter the two ice blocks. They all moved through the area easily. Isha's Blood Moon detection meter was higher than normal. The same enemies from the previous area were placed in the next room ahead. The room possessed strangely identical obstacles with ice blocks on the left and cutter blocks on the right. Pinkobashi reasoned that there could not be ice twice, so he chanced upon the Sir Kibble to fire dangerous cutting boomerangs. They destroyed the cutter blocks and headed in. Once they found the door, they suddenly found that they were directly under the holder of the Crimson Core. Pinkobashi got off of Sash and floated to gather it and held it up, the item being surprisingly light. All of his other members were impressed with the glowing power. The shimmer given off by the Crimson Core produced a strange sound when they held it.

"Yeah! We did it!" Pinkobashi shouted. "It's ours now! Where the hell are the others?! I want them now! I want to collect them all!"

"Don't get too hasty! Maybe we'll find the others later." Alexander reminded them.

"We should be at the jackpot by now!" Blaze asserted. The puffballs immediately heard some loud booming sounds, giving them the impression as if the massive castle was shaking beneath their feet. They immediately hopped up near the door.

"What the hell! I hope we didn't activate the self-destruct system!" Ruby asserted.

"This castle is full of surprises..." Pinkobashi immediately felt the shockwaves of a major explosion pass through the other side of a room. His breathing slowed.

"Run!"

"What?"

"Run! Something's coming!"

"Look out!" Jack shouted to the rest of his teammates.

A massive explosion tore through the wall to mark the arrival of two malicious shadows.

Pinkobashi felt a plasma-charged sword strike tear through his skin, feeling great pain. The force of the impact caused him to expel his ability and revert back to his normal form. In a few seconds, Pinkobashi fell to the ground in the ensuing scuffle, watching in horror at all of the warriors of Galaxy Squad being assaulted and unable to respond to the attacks on all sides, the enemy firing powerful sword beams that were on par with or at least stronger than that of Alexander's sword copy ability weapon. With the puffballs all trapped in a small area, they had nowhere to run. Pinkobashi could see his reflection in a powerful blade, barely being able to turn his head to see who made him taste his iron heel. He found himself firmly crushed on the face by a dangerous masked knight. One of the mysterious sword-wielding warriors was what Pinkobashi saw previously, a familiar face that enraged him yet there was one major difference in the caped one was the scar across his mask. The other masked assassin snatched the Crimson Core from his pocket in two seconds and held onto it in the left arm. Neither of them spoke a word. The shadowy figures leaped for the door above them once all five of the remaining members of Galaxy Squad were unable to beat them in glorious battle.

Pinkobashi got up after he was let go and presumably left for dead with the others.

"Hey! It's ours!" Pinkobashi got up and started running with his weapon in their direction.

"Get back here!" Blaze shouted. There was no response.

"Now it's personal!" Jack added.

"Splash must be close! I just know it! We need to find him first!" Sash added.

They quickly ventured up a narrow corridor, hopping up and tearing through four Broom Hatters in their chase. Alexander while enraged was able to slice through them quite easily. Once they breached the next door, they found themselves trapped in another room. After they got and eventually lost the new item, they headed up to find another dangerous foe ahead of them. They found the deadly umbrella Jumpershoot on the attack. Time was running out. They opened fire with everything they had as the parasol hopped toward them. Jack fired two homing sparks in quick succession at the open umbrella. Blaze burned the umbrella with his flamethrower, causing it to catch flame easily and disrupting its attack pattern. Alexander came in close with a powerful sword beam volley slicing through its face. The umbrella monster jumped in the air and tossed his heavy shoe at them, the thing coming down hard and forcing the puffballs to change tactics, yet it was an opportune moment for Ruby to swallow it and spit it back at the target just before it could take flight again. Ariana came close to the creature and fired a few blasts of cutter blade rounds at the large umbrella, sticking and tearing through the top part of the walking tool. Isha tried freezing the creature in place with her copy ability weapon, only for it to spin and fly close to them, forcing them all to get out of the way of the parasol. Pinkobashi readied a charged blast from his beam copy ability weapon to collide with the umbrella for the final blow, the impact yielding great force that flipped the umbrella over with no way to move. He then instinctively fired a beam whip to zap the body out of existence as soon as it landed. He fell to the ground out of breath after what transpired, feeling the need to rest, but he got up to find that the exit door just opened.

"Final commander down!" Alexander informed.

"Yes! We did it!" Isha shouted.

They headed down a corridor to find a hopping shadow heading their way. Alexander thought it was a Drifter or a Bouncy, but it was strangely dripping water, so it wasn't either of them.

"Hey guys, it's me, Splash!" The swordfish greeted them. He was surprisingly not detained.

"Splash! Buddy!" Sash cheered.

"You're back!" Jim shouted.

"I'm glad you're all together...but we have bigger things to deal with!" Isha reminded them.

"We know what we must do!" Splash affirmed. They immediately ran through the castle and eventually ascended through the tower, hoping to massacre everything in their path, but they found the dreary castle to be barren and abandoned, with all the enemies missing in action. At the same time, they were unable to spot any trace of the presence of the two masked assailants that just attacked them out of nowhere a few minutes ago. They were still ready to face them again before they came into their general direction.

Pinkobashi was confused about what was really going on.

The master was busily talking to the apprentice as they remained hidden behind the second-to-last floor of the Castle itself, slaughtering at least a dozen Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo elite guards in less than two minutes. They dismembered and annihilated all of them. Their weapons were overpowered, but in the right hands, they were efficient killing machines.

"I praise you for your efforts in gathering these items for us...Master Spatha...now what is going to happen?..."

"With all of these Crimson Cores in possession...the world has been saved..."

King D6 lounged at the summit of Dark Castle, immediately being notified that his final commander Jumpershoot had been slayed in combat and two unknown terrorists had joined in with Galaxy Squad to bring disaster to his glorious plans. He was unwilling to notice a strange mysterious dark eye pulsating out of his chest before retreating inside his rotund body.


	19. Chapter 18: VS D6

CHAPTER 18

Dark Castle. Primary hideout of King D6. All seven of King D6's commanders have been slain in combat by Galaxy Squad as part of their final top-secret mission. Only King D6 remains.

Dark Castle, Unknown Location, 2300 Hours

The fate of the world was on edge. The members of Galaxy Squad were remiss to the fact that they were sent on a suicide mission. Without their efforts, everything would be in vain. They gathered their hopes as they endured the weight of their mission on their shoulders. Pinkobashi briefly had the chance to have daydreams in the midst of the insanity. He could see visions of the strange masked shadow he fought in the mysterious castle. The pink blur knew the black creature was a dangerous sword-wielding entity, but not a puffball like him. This one had nothing distinguishable, just a black floating mass that showed no mercy. His mind kept being bothered by the frequent shocks of his encounters. Pinkobashi kept trying to conjure up a sort of happy place, but he was never able to do so. He could briefly see some flashes of blood seeping into the floor, caused by their careful executions of multiple enemy troops. The intense weather was picking up, a series of apocalyptic storms swirling around the skies above them. All of them discovered that the rest of King D6's personal guards were all killed in a brutal fashion, no doubt by those same deadly two warriors. They checked for any readings of enemy patrols and raced toward the large last door. Without any aid, they stayed at the sides of the door with their copy ability weapons at the ready. Alexander made the call to act, and they barged in. The warriors all climbed up a long staircase to reach the top of the castle. Some of them could hear the sounds of the Shotzo cannons firing from all over the room, but they could feel the room shaking as they only heard loud explosions as they walked. Trouble was ahead. Galaxy Squad successfully reached the battlements. They quickly noticed the appearance of the king on the other side of the room, unable to see them. His slouched appearance gave them the impression that he was sleepy, but that was not the case. He definitely resembled his image on the documents they received before their mission. They reckoned they could capture him, so Alexander quietly ordered the movement and gathered his unbreakable flex cuffs from a special part of his tactical backpack. At least this time while the king was sleeping, Ruby quietly readied her sniper rifle and was reminded by her commanding officer to take the shot, but he suddenly woke up and reacted to their presence. His eyes mysteriously glowed red as he turned to dodge the incoming bullet. He snickered as readied from his robe a special device, a large technologically advanced hammer that made for a deadly weapon, but he was outgunned and outnumbered. All of Galaxy Squad knew that there was no way he would win against them. They then encountered the strange group of two masked warriors standing on top of the battlements, talking amongst themselves. All of them listened to every word of the plotters.

"Get back! He's ours!" The apprentice spoke to them. The two teams prepared for battle.

"Alright! These guys are done! Give us the Crimson Core, and no one gets hurt!"

The strange warriors immediately tried to attack them in retaliation. Alexander and the strange masked master stared at each other.

"You don't realize the gravity of what you're doing..."

"Bullshit!"

"I cannot allow you to go any further..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"We're trying to warn you..."

"Warn us...that's a laugh...you're the enemy..."

"This is a mistake..."

King D6 looked at Galaxy Squad as he slowly clapped his hands while he taunted his enemies. He showed no signs of fear. He moved toward them without them noticing.

"Well...well...you've made it this far...Galaxy Squad…I'm impressed...now it is your time to be judged!" The king arched his body back and extended his arms with his clenched fists curled.

BOSS BATTLE!

King D6 entered into a bitter rage. He knew well that the right time to interfere was to have his enemies make a mistake. He flexed, and his muscles suddenly multiplied in size to resemble that of a bodybuilder. He was jacked, the sudden burst of energy tearing through his regal robe. His crown still was firmly placed atop his head. His eyes glowed red as his soul was quickly being consumed. The king had become a monster. King D6 immediately focused his energy, yielding a glowing aura around his body. His body sparked and flashed. The members of Galaxy Squad, especially the three animals, were shaken and stirred. Ruby quickly fired a blast of her sniper rifle aimed at his head and took the shot, but the blast did nothing but reflect and fizzle out. She was shocked as the king was heading toward them, manically laughing. The masked master quickly readied a slash, but he absorbed the round like nothing.

"Look out!" The apprentice tried to protect the master but the face of the apprentice was quickly crushed beneath King D6's left foot, pressing down on the mask with great pressure. He grabbed the seven Crimson Cores from the apprentice's back pocket while he taunted them. The enemies of the king strengthened their resolve in their desperate struggle to defeat him.

"Ha...all seven of the Crimson Cores are now mine...it's a shame I'll be finishing you off..."

"FORE!" He readied a powerful swipe of his massive hammer to send the apprentice flying and crashing into a wall. The members of Galaxy Squad jumped out of the way.

"Who's next?" The angry king bellowed as he loomed toward them with his large weapon.

Jack fired off a blast from his spark copy ability weapon aimed directly for the king himself. King D6 quickly dodged the attack and used his copy ability weapon to throw them back at him. The King noticed the three animal friends opening fire on them in one place with their regular weapons. He charged at them recklessly while Jim was able to toss a grenade before they bounced back, the blast doing nothing but angering the king even more. He swung his hammer on the ground so hard that the contact triggered an electric shockwave of death.

The animals scattered out of the way and spread out to attack the king with suppressive fire.

Suddenly, through the dark skies, a large black jet appeared and made a low pass to open fire on the King. The laser bolts did nothing but reflect off of them like an energy shield. It was the Princess. King D6 sensed this and morphed the shape of his hammer to become a portable rocket launcher. The hammer deployed several micro missiles that homed in on the rear. The plane was unable to dodge the heat seeking rockets, with no choice but to ram into the King and self-destruct. Two masked warriors jumped out of the plane just before it crashed into the king and devastated part of the top of the castle. The King emerged from the wreckage seemingly unharmed. The silent warriors were caught off guard when the master engaged the king instead with a series of powerful slashes and sword beams. The King quickly dodged the attacks and jumped up to strike down the masked warrior in a single crushing blow to the face. He was able to get up, with his damaged mask. The Princess and her butler, both armed with parasol-type copy ability weaponry, emerged near the wreckage, ready to join in the fight. Blaze was running forward to use his flamethrower only for the king to jump. The king leaped into the air and landed near Pinkobashi. The thump left two stars appearing by his side. Pinkobashi inhaled two of the stars and spat both of them back at the king's chest, hurting him. While he was stunned, Alexander swooped in and attacked while he charged up a mighty giga slash. The king felt some pain from the powerful strike. With the king distracted, Pinkobashi stood back and charged his beam copy ability weapon before firing it at his back. The king was able to notice the blast and slammed it down with his hammer, the hit doing great damage. The princess and butler used their arsenal parasols to fire a series of bullets, the blasts reflecting off of the dark aura radiating from his body. Isha tried using her ice gun near D6 to slow down his movement but the attack failed to do anything while she quickly ducked from the hammer swing. The reaction time of her foe was unparalleled. She was smashed back by the hammer. The king slammed his hammer down on the floor to generate a shockwave and generate another star as a byproduct in its place. Pinkobashi dodged the shockwave and spat back the star back again to wound the king. Ruby fired her sniper again. Jack fired another spark blast while he was stunned, only for D6 to quickly evade the strike. The king charged at him and smacked him back with his giant hammer, sending him flying into a wall. Jack felt great pain when he was able to get up from his injury but could still thankfully fight. He fired another blast, but the king dodged it.

King D6 jumped up in the air and slammed his hammer down for great effect. The princess and butler changed their copy ability weapon configurations to shoot off two grenade launchers to stun the king briefly while Alexander and the master and apprentice charged forward. The king retaliated by throwing a fake hammer that exploded in the air and dropped some fiety star projectiles that quickly dissipated on the ground. He then raced to the two masked warriors and launched their swords copy ability weapons out of their hands with his hammer. He then smashed down to destroy both of them with his own weapon. Pinkobashi inhaled the star that it left over and launched it back at the king's chest. Alexander readied another giga slash and launched the king against the wall while Jack fired his explosive spark blast. The king threw another explosive hammer for the team to immediately dodge. When all the group assembled again to coordinate their offensive, Alexander threw another powerful giga slash attack right at the king followed by more heavy attacks from Pinkobashi and Jack. All three of the charged blasts connected for them to push the king back briefly. The master and apprentice were able to keep attacking the king with their regular assault rifles, but the high-caliber bullets were able to be shrugged off, merely tickling him. King D6 jumped into the air and landed on Blaze only for him to roll out of the way and burn him for a few seconds. Isha quickly jumped in and used her ice blast attack near the king, yet her attack also failed. She was hit back for the princess to catch her and stop her from flying into a wall. The King jumped at Alexander for him to ready one more final powerful slash attack at the head of the penguin to knock him out of his misery.

The king quickly faltered to the ground and blackened out, all seven of the Crimson Cores falling from his grasp. Now without the great power, he was nothing. His strange third eye invisible to them disappeared from sight. The team was surprised to take him out after the final blow.

The king was breathing, yet he was drifting off into a deep sleep, unable to move much.

However, with the common enemy beaten, there was still some unfinished business to take care of. The princess and butler were shocked at how quickly the event transpired.

"That was a most exciting battle, milady! We showed him! We're heroes!"

"Quite…" The Princess responded.

"Now…where were we?" Alexander readied his sword copy weapon back and drew it toward the as they backed away slowly. He gathered up and nabbed the two warriors against their will.

"You're making a mistake…" The disgraced apprentice spouted.

"We must forge a weapon using the seven Crimson Cores…only through that can we destroy the virus…the virus that is taking over the world…"

"Virus…what virus?"

"King D6 has come under its influence…he has been acting strangely…"

"That explains the enhanced power…" Isha ruminated.

"We have him under our control…King D6…you two…you're coming with us…" Alexander pointed his weapon at them. The two criminal terrorists were surrounded and outnumbered. They had nowhere to run, having no choice but to submit to their captors.

The leader of Galaxy Squad grabbed his weapon and forced the master down with his strength.

"The Knights of Spatha…now that we have you…your terrorist organization will be history…"

"You have labeled us terrorists because we were never responsible for the incident! The mastermind behind this war dragged us all in…you played your part well! Both the Poponian and DeDenidean governments have been taken over by a being...using each leader as a disguise!" They all imagined the incident that started the war in the first place.

"Bullshit!" Alexander dismissed such conspiratorial nonsense.

"The heads of your government have been taken over…by…a…matter...a coup is underway…"

"Impossible! Show yourselves! Pinkobashi! Isha! Take off those masks!" Both of the warriors complied without question and removed the masks. What they all found behind the masks was quite a surprise. The master and apprentice of the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world were Seginorishippu and Hikariowataru, formerly two of the members of the Destined Providence special warfare group. Pinkobashi was surprised. His life was flashing before his very eyes as all the repressed memories of the previous apocalyptic war came flooding back.

"I knew it all along! Seginorishippu! Hikariowataru! Formerly the legendary commander and team espionage agent of Destined Providence, now the masterminds behind the malevolent Knights of Spatha! These traitors are a threat to the security of all of puffball-kind! Now that both King D6 has been captured along with the leadership of Spatha...the world can now be at peace!"

"Why?" The pink puffball cried.

"Pinkobashi! We wanted you out of this mess!" Hikariowataru barked to all of them. "You're in grave danger!"

"I had no choice!"

"Regardless of the options you may have had...we had to save the world...from...the...matter...only you can stop it now!"

"What matter?"

"Dark Matter!" Pinkobashi instantly lost his mind for a few seconds.

"You're insane! Dark Matter can't be blamed for this! What the hell lead you to do this?! You're all wanted for the most dangerous of crimes…"

"We were all misled…by liars…what they do not know is…this conflict…is of galactic proportions…"

"No…we're too late…" Seginorishippu, formerly adopting the alter ego of Gladius or Master Spatha, peered at the body of King D6 as the Crimson Cores once again disappeared from sight. All that black energy suddenly escaped the body of the penguin and expelled into the night sky. He and the other two puffballs was left to be gathered by Galaxy Squad for their ensuing trials. Alexander knew that his men had to do for a disgraced unit, even one consisting of members known for their legendary prowess. They had to be taken away to some top-secret facility for questioning, but he was unwilling to listen to their concerns. Time was running out for the rest of Galaxy Squad. Alexander relayed his commander to send two carrier aircraft their way.

"Galaxy Squad…new orders…the war is officially over…we're going home…"

Galaxy Squad were about to depart from their destination. They were about to receive a hero's welcome, but they were unwilling to learn of the costs.


	20. Chapter 19: VS ?

CHAPTER 19

Popoken. Capital of Poponia. Residence of the Prime Minister.

Popoken, Poponia, 1200 hours

Following a swift attack on the capital by strange elite forces allegedly belonging to the Knights of Spatha, the Poponian military was able to thwart the assault. With the Prime Minister taken to a safe location, he was fine in his reinforced limo, but was quite tired.

The base personnel were easily overwhelmed by the advanced sword weapons of Spatha, with half of the defending forces being massacred with several casualties. Almost all of the Knights were either killed or captured, with only a few members remaining.

With King D6 captured at his secret Dark Castle base, the war was supposedly over. It was still going to be difficult to measure the costs of the great war.

"General...we did it...King D6 has been neutralized." Alexander noted.

"Excellent news..."

One of the retreating attackers notified their cell phones before escaping the area.

"Damn...we were too late..." They noticed some dark energy exuding from the pale body of the minister. The black particles vanished into the sky, leaving no trace. The other members were rounded up and restrained, with their intimidating disguises removed at the orders of the security team. The Knights were chasing a shadow that no longer existed.

"The other four leading members have been unmasked. I knew it all along! They're the other members of Destined Providence! They are going to have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Commander Garlemagne...The raid is now over..." One soldier

"The Knights of Spatha are no more!" Commander Garlemange uttered.

"Excellent...it seems we can win..."

Deenon watched the base cameras record what looked like a dark flash. Something was up.

* * *

Dark Castle. Hideout of King D6 of DeDenidea that has been neutralized following a difficult battle with the members of Galaxy Squad. Everything seems over for now.

Dark Castle, unknown location, 2400 hours

Pinkobashi and the crew watched King D6 as they cuffed him along with the members of the Knights of Spatha. The unconscious body briefly twitched, for at least he was alive. He was sleeping. Something just wasn't right. The team watched a strange dark being materialize from the King's body and propelled itself up like a jellyfish. This black beast possessed a single eye with numerous hair-like fronds. The matter flashed up and jetted into the dark sky.

"That's it!" Seginorishippu noted.

The members of Galaxy Squad were shocked to see that thing happen right in front of them. Pinkobashi's mind was plagued by the very nightmare. He was ready to finish that thing off.

"What the hell was that?.." Alexander was confused as the sight of the deadly beast .

"Allow me to explain everything...that thing was Dark Matter...it is responsible for everything..."

"Really?"

"Even this whole war was started because of it..." Hikariowataru added.

"The creature possessed the leaders of both DeDenidea and Poponia in the hopes of weakening their empires so it could take over the planet..."

"We tracked its location here while Project Sundowner was being tested...the failure of the mission forced us underground...the Knights of Spatha are hunted down by both governments...because we know the truth about what it really wants..."

"Dark Matter...that doesn't sound good."

"Not like the scientific dark matter..."

"It is a force that threatens us all...There is only one way to destroy it."

All seven Crimson Cores spun around and combined together to yield a bright flash. A powerful sword descended. Inside the hilt was an orb that had all seven of the cores together.

Pinkobashi had the resolve to pick up the glowing weapon. All the energy surged through his body. He felt liberated when the spark jolted down as a bolt of lightning. The sharp blade was crescent shaped and jolted like plasma. Pinkobashi readied a slash that yielded a plasma burst that zapped across the sky. There was no limit to its ammunition. He left his copy ability weapon behind, for he had no use of applying a copy ability weapon against such a thing.

"The power of light! The Crimson Sword!" Hikariowataru shouted.

"It is an ancient weapon that can only be formed...when a warrior is noble enough to wield it...it believes you are worthy..."

"I got it!" Pinkobashi screamed with joy.

"Pinkobashi...take care of that matter for us!" Seginorishippu demanded.

"Will do, sir!"

"Good luck, Pinkobashi! May the gods be with you!" The rest of them were silent.

Pinkobashi pointed the sword to the sky and it quickly shot him up there..

"If he doesn't defeat this thing...our planet is done for..." Commander Alexander noted.

The Princess looked up into the night sky, praying for his safe return.

He ascended into the dark and cloudy sky. There the strange cyclopean black mass awaited him with its distorted shape, ready to engage with a weapon fashioned from its body.

The two of them clashed swords, and prepared for an epic battle in the sky.

BOSS BATTLE!

The black creature slashed his sword back, with Pinkobashi quickly dodging the attack. The puffball relentlessly flew close to the monster and swiped a few times. The dark sword wielder projected a powerful beam of energy that zapped through the sky in a matter of seconds. They clashed several times before he raised his sword and flashed when he prepared to fire a charge shot. Pinkobashi timed his strike as soon as the enemy fired it to reflect back at the target just before it could hit him. He could tell that damage was dealt to the enemy matter, but the creature quickly recovered from the attack and fired more laser bolts. The monster kept relentlessly assaulting him with a series of sword slashes, but Pinkobashi was able to descend to evade the attacks. When the creature fidgeted from being stunned, he charged forward and returned back to his original position. The pink warrior barely missed the attack and saw the warrior preparing another charge blast from his sword. He dodged the swipe and braced the swift beam attacks emanating from the swordsman's sword. The creature charged forward and nearly skewered him, but he descended just before the dark matter could reach him. He charged forward and slashed back at him again with precise strikes each time the master retreated and readied for another charged attack. The creature soared above him and dashed at him when he wasn't looking, the sword tearing through his body, but he was still able to fly upward. His immediate wound did not phase him in the slightest. He charged at the master and was zapped by two laser bolts that set him on fire for a few seconds, leaving him stunned for a bit and sending him briefly falling, but he was able to come up and reflect a charged blast back at the dark matter. He rushed again and struck his target a few times, the strike wearing down his opponent. The stunned beast charged forward and caught him by surprise once again. Pinkobashi felt like he was bleeding, but the incident was only internal, so he kept fighting again while the matter did not relent. Two more hits and he would be history. The matter was about to finish him off and prepare another charge attack. Pinkobashi returned the attack back at the last second, the blast causing the dark creature to implode on itself and the pieces scattering all around the attack. The pink one sighed with relief and prepared to go down, yet the pieces reformed themselves into a nightmarish black mass. The mass pulsated and flashed before a large revolting eye popped out of the circle. Ten petals which gave the creature propulsion sprouted all around the back of its body. The true form of Dark Matter was exposed. Pinkobashi tried to fly backward as the beast charged. The petals separated and flew up and down in an arched fashion, each of the circular projectiles exploding in the sky. The creature dashed forward and fired off a series of black lightning beam attacks from its eyeball, Pinkobashi dodging each blast as he searched for an opening. The loud pings generated from the plasma expelling from the eye were bothering him.

He struck it a few times with his sword slashes to hurt the creature as it spun around and fired off more plasma blasts in an irregular motion, narrowly missing each hit that seemed to home in on him. The pieces quickly separated and the creature bolted forward three times in quick succession, but Pinkobashi flew low to avoid the charging attack. The petals separated when he swooped down, with the window being brief, so he made his four hits count by reflecting the explosives back and stunning the creature a few times just before they could reform. He dodged a few more lightning attacks from the creature and sliced at its body a few more times. He descended to avoid the charge attack, narrowly dodging two but was hit on the last strike. Pinkobashi was now in critical condition, tiring even with his strong will to fight. He sensed the pattern of the spinning black mass and timed his flight accordingly just enough to reach him. The creature fired more lightning beams from its eyes, the pink blur weaving through the beams and readying for a final strike that used up all his energy. The titanic strike tore through the creature's flashing body, stunning it for a few seconds before it could emit beams of light from its body and generate a giant explosion. Pinkobashi was right in front of the blast, being knocked back but still able to briefly regain his consciousness for a second. The flash was brief, but the impact made him lose control of his crimson sword for a fraction of a second, grabbing it with perfect timing. The teammates below could witness Pinkobashi swiftly descending from the sky with a ultrabright rainbow trail. The pink blur was still able to navigate the rough winds of the sky forcing him in different directions. He dreamed of a better tomorrow when the war would finally be over. His teammates watching him from the top of Dark Castle were glad to know that the war was finally over.

"It looks like the slim odds were in our favor..." Hikariowataru reckoned.

"He destroyed Dark Matter...we're safe..." Seginorishippu affirmed.

"He did it! That son of a bitch did it!" Alexander hollered.

"Hooray!" Isha chimed in.

"I can't wait to celebrate!" Blaze shouted.

"The planet is saved!" Ruby asserted.

"I knew he had it in him!" Jack noted.

"Pinkobashi! What a man!" Ariana retorted.

"He's so dreamy..." The Princess swooned.

"Indeed...quite a fair chap..." her butler joined in.

"There he is!" The animal friends pointed to the comet as he landed about a few miles away from the entrance to the castle. The puffballs and the animals quickly raced after him to find that he was alright. The almighty crimson sword landed by him in its current state to be picked up and studied for future intergalactic confrontations. Within a few hours, they would send a transport plane back to pick them all up and take them back to Poponia. Pinkobashi kept seeing visions as he looked up to the stars above. He kept seeing a black circular mass about the size of a small moon and cities in flames. Something was coming. He felt that the apocalypse was only beginning, yet the harrowing outcome was inevitable. The only thing to do was to prepare for the worst. The rest of his friends celebrated his safe return from nearly meeting a horrible end.


	21. Chapter 20: Ending

CHAPTER 20

Outskirts of Dark Castle. Hideout of King D6 of DeDenidea that has been neutralized following a difficult battle with the members of Galaxy Squad. The Dark Matter beast controlling him has been eliminated.

Dark Castle, unknown location, 800 hours

Pinkobashi grabbed his items and met up with his teammates, patiently waiting for his troop carrier to land. With the war finally over, he reflected on his newfound abilities in slaying his enemies and saving the world from tyranny once again. A carrier plane had already touched down to pick them up. The pink blur was the last to board as he looked out on the ruined battlefield of Dark Castle, a relic of the ancient past. There were always rumors of another war abounding. King D6 was barely conscious when he woke up flex cuffed and unable to move himself. They could only hear his cries for help and bitter rage as he was restrained further. He chatted with his teammates as they pulled his massive weight.

"How do you guys feel that it's all over?"

"Marvelous...Pinkobashi!" The Princess raced up to Pinkobashi and kissed him. The other women were jealous of the fact that a flirty bitch got to him.

"Damn showoff!" Ariana muttered under her breath.

"Let them have their fun..."

"Wait...we have a phone call...it's Deenon and Garlemagne..." Alexander reminded the members of Galaxy Squad and the other animal friends.

"Hallo...zis is Deenon speaking..."

"We get you...what's up..."

"Have you zlain za beest yet?"

"Affirmative!"

"Dark Matter has been destroyed..." Commander Garlemagne joined in. "We've done it..."

"Za vorld is zafe for now..."

"Mission accomplished! We're heading home!" They all went aboard the carrier plane. Their respective carrier planes were joined by an escort of a few F-25s as they made their ascent.

"They must be really mad now!" Jack joked.

"Without their precious king...the whole population will crumble at our knees..."

"The people of DeDenidea are safe from his reign of terror..." Blaze affirmed.

"Can't wait to receive a hero's welcome..." Jim shouted.

"It won't be long..." Sash reckoned.

"You said it..." Splash concurred.

Within a few hours of bitter fighting, the nation of DeDenidea was forced by Poponia to offer up an armistice and sue for peace. The war was officially over, and all puffball-kind were safe. The two leading empires of the world would agree to reduce armaments and promote peaceful cooperation amongst themselves.

"This war was all a big misunderstanding..." Commander Seginorishippu reckoned. "We are not terrorists...we are trying to save the world from a much darker fear..."

"Your punishment has been revoked...you both have given us the tools to save our planet..."

"You will ensure that your organization will dissolve effective immediately..."

"Understood..." Hikariowataru affirmed. "The creature is dead...the mission is complete..."

* * *

Popoken. Capital of Poponia. Residence of the Prime Minister.

Popoken, Poponia, 1200 hours

Galaxy Squad and the animal friends were present on the capitol grounds the following day of their deployment. They were promptly ordered to bow in order to be knighted by Queen Poponiana herself. Each of the brave warriors were presented with their gold medals recognizing the highest possible service in bringing King D6 and his empire to justice. The animal friends were delighted to have received their amazing rewards. The Poponian nation received a warm welcome. Strangely, Deenon was not present in the crowd. In addition, all of the members of the former Knights of Spatha were nowhere to be found, having gone underground. The nation of Poponia was safe. Soon they were about to receive the word that Galaxy Squad would also be dissolved to ensure plausible deniability and reactivate in the event of the emergence of another global threat, but they would be ready for anything. The war-torn planet of Pop Star would never be the same.


End file.
